Get your kids geared up for a brighter future by teaching them to cook

Why teach them to cook?

When I started writing this article, I knew of a few reasons why parents need to encourage their kids to cook. When I returned to it, I continued to find more and more reasons on why cooking is really an amazing activity for kids.

Exposes them to different kinds of food.

By encouraging kids to cook, you are helping expose them to different kinds of food and ingredients they haven’t tried before. This will motivate them to try new food and be less picky. Over time, they will start to enjoy it more and expand their little palates.

Helps them be independent

Our children grow up really fast. Cooking independently is a skill that will last forever. When kids who know how to cook grow older, we parents won’t need to worry about them having take-out everyday. Even kids as young as three years old can learn to do some things independently. My daughter used to help me peel boiled potatoes and de-shell boiled eggs. Her tasks gave her such a sense of achievement when she finished them.

Uses math and science in a practical way

Who says math and science can only be taught in a classroom? Kids get better at math and science while having fun in the kitchen! My daughter learnt fractions by helping me measure ingredients for our favourite pineapple cake. Making freshly baked bread is a delicious science experiment to watch yeast work with flour, water and sugar to turn a lump of dough into a fluffy cloud of carbs.

Boosts confidence

When children help out in the kitchen, it helps them feel useful, responsible and competent. Appreciating them for cooking their simple meals gives them a confidence boost that they are able to help out your family while having fun at the same time.

Understands different cultures

Food is a wonderful way to get to know different cultures. Children who enjoy different cuisines are more open to trying new things. Cooking different types of food opens up so many conversations about the countries and cultures they come from.

Builds problem-solving skills

Cooking and reading recipes help kids to be self-directed. It teaches them to follow instructions and develop problem-solving skills. It also allows children to apply what they learn by counting, measuring, and following a sequence of instructions.

Boosts self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief when one’s own effort leads to an outcome. Children with high self-efficacy are persistent and resilient when they face challenging tasks, while children with low self-efficacy generally avoid complex tasks and give up easily. When we cook, we have to often handle many different tasks such as chopping, blending, kneading, mixing and many more. This increases children’s flexibility and perseverance in handling the steps required to achieve the outcome they desire in the kitchen and beyond.

Increases quality time with family

Cooking and having meals together is a wonderful way for kids to spend time with the family. Over the last Summer holiday, to get my husband and daughter more involved in the kitchen, I suggested they prepare at least one dish a day. They were soon really busy, and as expected, bonded over all those cooking sessions.

Improves language development

Cooking can improve language skills by encouraging children to talk about what they count and measure or when they watch materials change colour or texture. They will also learn new vocabulary from reading recipes and following instructions.

Improves physical development

When children chop, mix, squeeze, and spread, they develop fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills.

Expresses creativity

Cooking is a fantastic way to express a child’s inner artist. When my daughter

helps me make pizzas, she makes different designs with the toppings: a smiley face, a flower or sometimes even an animal. Kids can do so much with projects like cupcake decorations, shaping bread rolls and so much more.

DRAFTJS_BLOCK_KEY:4h44mWhen I started writing this article, I knew of a few reasons why parents need to encourage their kids to cook. When I returned to it, I continued to find more and more reasons on why cooking is really an amazing activity for kids.

Is therapeutic

Let’s face it, children face a lot of challenges nowadays: expectation to do well in school, social pressure from classmates — and the pandemic certainly isn’t making it easier. Cooking can be one of those stress relievers. Marriage and family therapist Lisa Bahar, LMFT, LPCC, says that cooking encourages her clients to practice mindfulness in the kitchen. For many of us, cooking has also made lockdowns so much easier.

Whether it is whisking, shaping cookies, chopping vegetables, or cracking an egg, imagine doing all that as a child! What a wonderful way for kids to get their hands dirty and have some fun. The bonus is all that amazing time in the kitchen leads us to something delicious we can eat!