Budding Cooks: What Skills Do Kids Develop in Kitchen?

Cooking is a really great activity that you can do with your child. Yes, it is fun and it lets them help you in the kitchen when it comes to making meals but there are also other reasons behind letting them cook with you.

• Coordination. For an adult, pouring a cup of cream into a measuring cup might seem like an easy thing for a child to pick up. If you want to teach your kids to refine their motor skills, working in the kitchen with you is a fine way of going about this.

• Team Player. Even chefs in big restaurant chains need the help of their team. If you want to teach your kids about being a team player, this is a good opportunity for that lesson.

• Sharing. Teach your kids how to share not only food but actual objects as well, such as cutting boards, peelers and can openers. Teach them about taking turns and waiting their turn.

• Measurements and Math. Cooking in the kitchen with your kids is also a nice way to start teaching them about measurements and math by counting eggs, letting them use the measuring cup to figure out fractions and math problems for real life situations.

• Reading. When cooking in the kitchen you have to know how to not only read the recipes you are making, but the numbers on the measuring spoons and cups as well as the instructions on things like cake mixes or cookie dough. Let your kids read the recipe out loud.

• Organizing and Cleaning. This is a good way to teach kids about organizing and cleaning too. Start teaching them about how to organize different objects in a room, as well as how to clean floors, counters, and dishes.

Lynda Way is the owner of Pacific PreSchool & Kindergarten, a one-of-a-kind child care and learning center in San Marcos, California. Lynda’s goal is to provide an early education program to children so that it satisfies their physical, socio-emotional and intellectual needs in a progressive way. She makes use of her 40 years of professional knowledge in childhood development and truly loves what she does.

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