I’m a full-time working mom, but I still get excited about summer break.  Summer break is a great time to spend more time with my children. Even with summer activities going on, we seem to have more unscheduled hours during the summer. Without homework each night the kids are more relaxed, stay up a little later, and are eager to try new things that their school schedule doesn’t allow time for during the school year.

 

One of our favorite things to do during the summer months is to try out new recipes together.  Children are naturally curious.  This natural curiosity provides me (and you) with the perfect opportunity to get into the kitchen with our kids and capitalize on an awesome learning opportunity.   Think of all the benefits our children receive when we take a little extra time to include them in the kitchen.  Maybe toss the summer workbook for a day and see how much the kids can learn from spending time with you in the kitchen. 

 

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10 Benefits of Cooking With Your Kids This Summer

1. Math Skills: Fractions, adding, subtracting and multiplication all occur when cooking recipes.  Kids often don’t even realize that they are practicing their math skills!

2. Reading Skills: Reading and understanding are skills that kids work on as they follow the steps and techniques in recipes.

3. Science:  Cooking is really like a science experiment.  What happens when the kids get the ingredients, timing or method wrong………..and what happens when they get it all right?  Yum!

 

4. Creativity: Cooking and baking can be quite creative.  Once your children learn basic cooking skills encourage them to be creative with ingredients, techniques and the appearance of the food they prepare. 

 

 

5. Life Skills: Cooking is a necessary skill for independence as an adult and one of the best skills to foster a life long love of healthy foods.  The ability to organize is also an important life skill that can be learned while cooking. 

6. Being Part of a Family:  I think it’s important to teach children that mom and dad aren’t the servants of the home.  Being part of a family means that everyone works together to take care of the family’s daily needs.  It’s also fun to have time together as a family.  The relaxed atmosphere of the kitchen allows for great conversation.  It’s a good time to get to know your kids………even your teens!

7. Health and Nutrition:  Kids are not born knowing what healthy foods are.  They need to be taught.  Take the time to teach children about “eating the rainbow” of fruits and vegetables, the importance of eating a variety of whole foods and the difference between healthy foods and junk food. 

 

 

8. Experiencing New Ingredients and Recipes:  I am always amazed to discover what kids will eat when they prepare it themselves.  It’s also fun to take them to the grocery store to let them discover new produce and try to find unfamiliar ingredients for a new recipe they want to try. 

9. Self Esteem:  Cooking allows kids to get instant feedback.  They can easily see and take pride in their developing skills.

10.Fun!  Cooking is fun.  There is no doubt about it.  Playing with dough, mixing ingredients, chopping vegetables, and eating the creations your children create are sure to bring the smiles and giggles out in abundance. 

 

Teaching our children to cook has huge payoffs! Let’s face it……… It’s work to have kids in the kitchen at first. The floors and counters will certainly be a huge disaster area. You know kids make messes, ask a lot of questions and easily get distracted.  Keep in mind that each time they cook with you they are learning skills that will last a lifetime. Enjoy cooking with your kids this summer………no sunscreen required for this activity!

Do you cook with your kids?  What are some of their favorite recipes?  At what age did you start to cook?