Kids in the Kitchen: The Benefits of Cooking with Children

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

In any busy household, getting a family fed is a feat in itself. But involving your kids can make it more joyful for you both, with many benefits for them

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I remember when I first met my partner and cooked her a meal. She was amazed that I could cook, partially because I had admitted to not being particularly domesticated. Cleaning isn’t in my skill set, for instance.

“How did you learn to cook?” She asked. I responded: “I just always have been able to,” not really thinking it through.

Of course, I haven’t always been able to. The fact that I can cook and understand food is owed to my parents, who involved me in the kitchen at a very early age. It had so many benefits for me, and these have been backed up by numerous studies and other parents’ experiences when involving their children.

There are so many different benefits of cooking with children, including the joy of just spending some time with your kids and creating something beautiful together. Here are a few…and they may not be as obvious as you might imagine.

Language, math, and science

You need to be able to follow a recipe, and this involves both language and math by default, as recipes will require some form of measuring and reading to understand how to do things the correct way. So, the mere act of following a recipe hones your child’s skills in these areas.

It’s also a perfect chance to discuss other aspects of science, such as how sugar works in the baking process, what happens to the food in your body, and what makes food healthy and nutritious. You can also help to educate your child on the safety of food by using science and explaining bacteria, and how heat impacts food.

All of this can help your child gain a broader understanding of the world and develop and live a healthier life in the future.

Creativity and self-esteem

Cooking is a great chance to be creative, and it can even build a child’s self-esteem and confidence. By creating something themselves and coming up with ideas regarding what to cook, they can challenge their brains. If it works, it can be a big boost to self-esteem. And if not, they get an opportunity to explore why not and what to change the next time. This is especially true if you are cooking for others who might give feedback on the cooking.

Developing children’s motor skills

Motor skills include a variety of different ways we use our brains and our nervous system. This includes little things like walking and how we start to talk.

Things like mixing and measuring are all ways that you can help a young child develop their motor skills. For little ones, climbing up on a chair to help you can help them to learn how to balance, and pretty much every single aspect of cooking can help with motor skills.

Of course, you shouldn’t expose your children to anything that is dangerous in the kitchen, and you need to supervise them at all times while they are preparing food, or cleaning up. There is the potential for the kitchen to be a dangerous place, but this can be avoided, and parents can help their kids learn about the safety needed, especially regarding hot surfaces and sharp knives.

Acceptance of new food

If you present a new type of food to your child and they don’t know what it is, there is every chance that they will just reject it out of hand. They’re unlikely to be willing to try things, especially as they get a little bit older and they tend to stick to what they’re comfortable or familiar with.

However, if you involve your child in making the food, there is more incentive for them to try it — they’re likely to want to test out the food, as they want to see the fruits of their labors and understand how it tastes.

They will also know exactly how it was made, and it won’t look or feel so unusual and foreign to them.

Opportunity for quality family time

Getting some quality time with the family can be tough. We lead busy lives, and often it can feel like we’re ships passing in the night, only seeing family for a brief spell before getting on with other aspects of life such as work, school and various activities.

Since we all have to eat, however, preparing food together can help you reclaim a slice of family time. With your children, it can be a chance for them to get away from homework (or just to tear them away from their toys and games) and make some quality memories. As children age, they will likely see more of the benefits of spending time with their parents preparing delicious and nutritious meals — and actually seek it out.

Cooking skills every kid should know

There are certain skills we think every child should learn by a certain age. Teaching them the basics can help you a lot in the kitchen. These skills include:

Blending and measuring. Having the skills to weigh and measure the right amounts of food will give them a foundation to build upon.
Kitchen and knife safety. Definitely begin teaching your children the basics of safety to ensure that they aren’t likely to hurt themselves or others.
Basic prep. This may include things like chopping and peeling. As they get older, you can trust them with more equipment or more advanced preparations. They can start with things like coring apples, mashing food, shredding cheese, or even cracking and scrambling or whisking eggs.
Cleaning up and putting away. This is not something that will be particularly exciting for children, but it is a skill they have to learn. A messy kitchen is not going to function properly and can even create hazards. So, involve them in the process. teach children how to wash and clean up, and manage the kitchen.

Of course, every child develops at a different rate, so you should make a point of keeping things fun and not asking your kids to take on too much. Sparking their interest is the goal, and will set them up to be involved and continue learning skills well into the future.

You may also enjoy reading Fighting Childhood Obesity: How to Prevent Excessive Weight Gain in our Kids, by Lynda Arbon