Blog / 4 benefits of cooking with kids


April 22 2020,

4 benefits of cooking with kids

At Turtletot Childcare Bexley, we emphasize interactive learning through a wide range of engaging activities, and we encourage parents to do the same at home. Including kids in cooking at home at an early age can be an important part of preparing kids for schools. Children learn a lot through touching, tasting, feeling, smelling, and listening - all important ingredients for a fabulous kid’s cooking class. So, grab an apron, preheat the oven, and start learning!

Cooking and STEM learning at Turtletot Childcare Bexley

STEM is an acronym entailing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. While these might sound like advanced topics, research has shown that pre-school aged children are effective STEM learners thanks to their innate sense of wonder and curiosity. Cooking is something every child has exposure to. It engages all the senses and creates lasting memories. That makes cooking a fantastic activity for introducing kids to mathematical concepts and the principles of science. Children cooking activities at childcare

The benefits of cooking with kids

Mathematical skills: Maths is everywhere in the kitchen! Following a recipe involves counting, weighing, measuring, and timing. All great demonstrations of maths in everyday practice that help with grasping the basics of fractions, ratios, addition, and subtraction. Literacy and language: Reading recipes aids in letter recognition promotes comprehension and expands vocabulary. Cooking also involves hypothesizing, guessing, planning, and wondering. As children offer up ideas about how their experiment will turn out, they get better at expressing themselves and talking about new concepts. Science: Cooking is a science that we use every day! What happens when you heat up butter, mix flour with water, or bake a wet cake mix in a hot oven? Cooking allows children to witness science in action and explore how different substances change and interact. Social development: Cooking offers a relaxed opportunity to communicate, share tasks, and co-operate. Taking turns or taking responsibility for certain tasks are all good examples of co-operation and negotiation. Confidence: Cooking can also provide a fantastic self-confidence boost. The sense of pride and achievement on your little one’s faces when they present the finished product they’ve created is priceless. There are loads of other ways cooking and early education go hand-in-hand, from following instructions to developing motor skills to understanding the importance of hygiene. Food cooking activities by children

Learning that's fun

As a STEM activity, we think cooking is up there with the best! It’s something almost every child enjoys and it offers a uniquely irresistible reward. What could be more motivating than a delicious batch of cupcakes - the result of a job well done! STEM encourages children to think about their world more intentionally. During the cooking experience, encourage your budding chefs to ask “I wonder” questions: “I wonder why water bubbles when it boils?” “I wonder what makes a cake rise?” These sorts of questions promote reasoning, problem-solving and discovery, as the cooking process unfolds in real-time, revealing answers you can see, smell, touch and taste.

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