The Benefits Of Cooking With Kids

Cooking is a big part of human life and culture. For generations, the same recipes are passed down. Altered to fit changing taste buds, yet cherished all the same. There are many benefits of cooking with your kids. Inviting your kids into the kitchen with you has many great benefits.

Cooking with kids encourages healthy eating.

When you cook with your child you are teaching them about healthy foods and encouraging them to enjoy new foods they would normally be too shy to try. You can use this time to make new food exciting and fun and to talk about why different foods are good or bad for you. Grab our free food group printable for more food fun.

Spending time in the kitchen with you encourage your child to associate fun positive feelings with food rather than eating for emotional comfort later in life. It is all about instilling long-lasting healthy habits for a great future for your child. Cooking with kids is about so much more than dinner.

Bonding time with your kids

Cooking with my kids has always been a great bonding opportunity but now I have several children it is even more important. Each meal I cook I invite a child to come and hang out with me helping or just chatting depending on their needs at the time. When I was caring for my grandmother I even put her in the rotation so she could get 1 on 1 time as well. I find this is great for all of us and also greatly improves behavior.

Cooking is a great way to work on math

When you ask someone what part of math they struggle with most will say fractions. Fractions are scary until you use them without realizing it. Taking your math lesson to the kitchen makes a world of a difference in helping your child understand fractions. Measuring cups suddenly become tools of both cooking and basic math as your child uses fractions by adding two half cups to make a whole and while measuring those half cups she discovers how to use basic measurement.

Teach your child a bit of science

Cooking is full of chemical reactions your child will be amazed with. From watching baking soda and vinegar bubble over to the ingredients in cake go from liquid to a light fluffy solid they will never look at food the same. They will marvel in the wonders of cooking. Not bad for something that keeps the kids out of trouble while you make dinner huh?