Cooking With Kids: All the Basics You Need to Know
We’ve all been on lockdown for quite some time. Are your kids stuck inside? Have they started to get restless to do something? Now is the best time to teach them to cook and help them productively gain this skill.
You can take this opportunity to start them off young and teach them a skill that will benefit them later on in life.
But you may have a lot of questions. You may be wondering what the actual benefits of teaching your kids how to cook actually are. Or maybe you don’t know what a safe age is to start letting them cook.
Read on to learn why you should teach your kids how to cook, where to start, and more.
The Benefits of Teaching Your Kids to Cook
There are many benefits to teaching your kids how to cook that may not be apparent at first. Here are the ways that teaching them this skill can help them gain life skills and can aid their development:
- Helps them learn math concepts at any level: At the start of every recipe, there’s an ingredients list with various units of measurement. Cooking leads them to learn how to read these units of measurement. It also lets them practice applying math skills, such as multiplying to double a recipe for older children or counting out cups of ingredients for younger ones.
- Helps them improve their reading and comprehension skills: Cooking with a recipe can help small children who are learning to read and identify words. And older ones can practice reading comprehension by learning to comprehend complex recipes.
- Practice their fine motor skills at any age: Regardless of your child’s age, cooking can be an excellent way for them to improve their fine motor skills. Younger kids can practice new fine motor skills to help them when they need more advanced skills later on, including writing, drawing, and using scissors.
How to Teach Children to Cook at Different Ages
Whatever age your child is, you can start teaching them to cook to help them gradually learn how to perform various tasks in the kitchen.
Here are the cooking activities you can teach your kids at each age level:
- 2-3 years old: You can get your toddlers involved in the kitchen while supervising them. Focus on having them perform basic tasks. They’ll be able to squeeze lemons, use the salad spinner, and gently stir ingredients.
- 4-5 years old: They have more motor skills and can focus on longer tasks. So, you can have them do many of the same tasks you’d have them do if they were younger but with more independence. These can include stirring independently, setting the table, and greasing pans (with your help).
- 6-7 years old: At this age, they can start doing more detailed work in the kitchen. But they still need a lot of help and guidance. Remind them where to keep their fingers to safely grate and peel food.
- 8-9 years old: You can start teaching them cooking activities that they’re interested in. Use your discretion to determine whether or not they’re already mature enough to use the stove. But if not, they can still make easy toaster oven recipes.
- 10-12 years old: Once they’ve learned the basic kitchen skills, they can work more independently in the kitchen. You can even let them do basic stove tasks. For example, they can make scrambled eggs or flip pancakes.
Foods You and Your Kids Can Enjoy Cooking Together
Here are a few recipes that can get your kids involved in the kitchen and are fun to make:
- Strawberry SunButter Bites are great for helping your kids practice their fine motor skills as they spread and roll the ingredients.
- Yellow Rice Cakes let kids have fun mixing the ingredients before you cook them.
- Your kids will love being able to choose the toppings for these Whole Wheat Pizza Bagels. And it can give older kids experience using an oven.
DelSuites: Enjoy Cooking with Your Kids in a Fully Furnished Rental
Planning on going on a vacation with your family? Need a place to stay while you transition from your former home to a newly purchased one? Want to rent a condo in a family-friendly neighbourhood? DelSuites has a rental for you.
Our furnished rentals and serviced apartments let you use our amenities to cook in the kitchen with your kids. Have fun cooking with them and don’t miss an opportunity to let them practice their skills.
Whether you’re looking for a short-term lease or condo for a longer period of stay or a short-term rental, we’ve got you covered with our family-friendly options. Start browsing our rentals today and find one that’ll truly feel like home.