What children learn from cooking

Children love food. They love to play with food, eat food, and if allowed, cook food. Perhaps it is their creative natures that cause them, from the time they are very young, to hang around the kitchen begging to help. It is great for children to help with food preparation and also to actively learn how to cook. There are so many lessons which are incorporated into the act of cooking, to say nothing of how much fun it is to have that hands-on experience with food.

What children learn from cooking:

Math skills

Children learn how to count, weigh, measure, sort and sequence when following a recipe for a specific dish. They learn about fractions, shapes and colours. Accompanying you to the grocery store to purchase ingredients for a particular recipe provides a learning opportunity about money. Cooking and baking provide the opportunity to learn about shapes and colours. Problem-solving is another valuable component of the cooking experience, for children might learn what to do when something goes wrong.

Reading skills

A child’s vocabulary increases by learning potentially unfamiliar words through reading recipes and following instructions. In the process of cooking, there is much reading involved so it is inevitable that the child’s reading level will be enhanced.

Science lessons

Children learn the different food groups, how food changes appearance through cooking or baking, the effects of heat and cold on various food products. A heightened awareness of the senses is acquired through cooking.

Cooking provides hands-on sensory exploration; lessons in texture, density etc.

History and geography

Working with food is an opportunity to learn where various foods come from, cultural recipes, customs of other cultures. Family history is also learned through cooking, for many families have favourite recipes passed down through the generations.

Health

Learning how to create a balanced meal by incorporating all the food groups teaches valuable lessons in good nutrition. Children also learn lessons about safety and hygiene through cooking and cleaning up before and afterwards.

Social skills

Children learn how to work together with someone else, how to share and how to act responsibly; all important life lessons that can be reinforced through having the opportunity to create a meal for the family either alone or in a group. Being a successful cook also instils pride of accomplishment and increased self-esteem.

Motor skills

Letting children help out in the kitchen teaches motor skills such as chopping, whisking, kneading, pouring, mixing, cutting and rolling. By the time the child moves up to the level of working independently on a cooking project, they will be adept at all the kitchen skills needed to succeed.

By letting children into the kitchen to learn how to cook, you are not only providing them hours of fun, but they are learning many valuable life lessons in the process.