The Benefits of Cooking With Kids

From an early childhood perspective, this is a time of life when children are developing their sense of connection.

Coming together as a family to participate in a shared activity, like preparing food or eating dinner, helps children feel a sense of belonging and security.

Family meals are also a great time to talk about your day and give children the opportunity to develop their communication skills. They learn to listen and participate in conversations.

Tip: Serve meals "family style" when you can. Even very young children can learn to serve themselves when given the right tools and gentle guidance.

Allowing children to serve themselves, when appropriate, is also a sign of respect because it’s telling them "you know how much food your body needs."

If they take too little of a serving and ask for more, great!

And if they take too much, you suggest they take less next time.

4 BIG Benefits of Cooking With Kids

Cooking together is an incredible way to develop a child's

1 . Language - it introduces new vocabulary related to ingredients, kitchen tools, cooking processes, etc.

Whether they are describing the texture of a food or talking through the steps of a recipe, children are building language skills through meaningful, real-life experiences.

2. Positive relationship with food - research suggests that children who are involved in meal preparation may be more willing to try new foods and may make healthier food choices.

3. Understanding of where their food comes from - they see the time and effort that goes into meal preparation.

4. Independence and confidence - Cooking is a practical life skill that invites children to contribute to caring for themselves and others.

As children participate in preparing food, they learn to follow steps, solve problems, make choices, and adapt when things don’t go exactly as planned.

These experiences help children recognize their own abilities and understand that they are capable, contributing members of the family. And that feels good.

The Challenges of Cooking Together...

With all that being said, cooking together as a family can sometimes pose challenges.

You have to be prepared to slow down, embrace the potential mess and be open to the idea that it may not turn out the same way it would if you’d done it alone.

If you’ve planned to prepare food together but you’re feeling especially tired or your child is having an off day, it’s okay to make other plans.

I don’t say this to deter you, it’s just the reality of cooking with young children.

It’s better for everyone to be in a good mood than to push through an activity that leaves both you and your child feeling frustrated.

The goal is to create positive experiences around food and family.