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As much as it is messy and slow, most pre-schoolers love to help out in the kitchen. Whether it's whipping up muffins or
mixing fruit salad, most children delight in the textures and shared time of cooking.
Though the first few kitchen adventures are often incredibly chaotic, with a little guidance and
a good slice of parental patience, pre-schoolers can soon become a positive help in the kitchen, something
every busy parent needs.
Benefits of cooking with children
Cooking is a life skill that will build confidence and independence, and is a skill that will benefit
children for the rest of their lives. However, cooking also has a myriad of other educational benefits.
By being involved in the kitchen from an early age, children learn what different foods look, feel,
smell and taste like. They begin to see where various foods come from and how to prepare different ingredients
– washing vegetables, peeling fruit – and how certain food is stored in the fridge. Hands-on experience
is an essential part of trying new foods, so by getting them involved in the kitchen they are much more
likely to try new foods.
Cooking together is also a great way to introduce a range of new vocabulary to younger children:
utensils such as whisk, grater, blender; actions such as chop, dice, stir; and a host of new foods such
as eggplant, feta and olive oil. Older children can begin to use basic mathematics to calculate weights
and measurements, as well as following recipes.
Setting a timer for those cookies to bake, or waiting for the pot to boil teaches the concept of
time, whilst stirring, chopping, mixing and whisking all build basic motor skills.
Working side-by-side teaches essential communication skills – passing utensils, following instructions
and the teamwork involved in cooking together. And most importantly, it is a fun activity that you can
share for many years to come.
It's never too early to start
Rather than jump straight in with a family dinner, keep it fun and simple, so it doesn't matter
whether the dish is actually finished! Cooking up pancakes or a batch of gingerbread men on a rainy morning
are both great ways to keep it fun and simple.
Homemade dips such as hummus are a quick and easy finger food for toddlers to make and immediately
devour. Pizza night is also a wonderful and fun way to get everyone involved – rolling a pizza base,
sprinkling cheese, choosing their own toppings from a colourful range and building their own pizza -
are all things that can tempt the most kitchen-shy of toddlers.
If you have your own vegie patch, this is also a great opportunity to introduce the concept of where
vegetables come from.
Before you start, gather all the ingredients you need and read through the recipe so you know what
you are doing. It will take longer than you think, so allow plenty of time. Most importantly, keep it
fun. Those spills, messes and failed cakes still bring as many benefits!
By experiencing healthy, nutritious food and changing the way kids think about food, parents can
lay the foundations for a healthier, happier future.
Safety in the kitchen
With children around, safety is always a first concern, so keep all activities to an age-appropriate
level. Turn all handles inwards if you are cooking, keep sharp knives out of reach and ensure appliances
are switched off when not in use. Even with blunt knives, children can still be taught knife-handling
skills, so they are already aware of the dangers when they do move onto sharper utensils. The kitchen
is also the perfect place to teach hygiene standards – washing hands before cooking, rewashing hands
if fingers go in the mouth, and not licking the spoon
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