Cooking activities are indeed fun and help us value food and the efforts that it takes. Cooking offers children a variety of learning experiences during their childhood. It is a practical way to teach kids basic life lessons, as well as academic abilities involving science, reading and math calculations.
Nowadays, both parents are working usually during the day. By the time they reach home and have their dinner, it is bedtime for their kids. Parents don’t get enough time with their kids and making these few hours count is a big challenge for you. This is your perfect chance to connect with your kids and spending the quality time with them.
Time spent in the kitchen emboldens interaction between parents and kids and your child express themselves in front of you without any hesitation. They learn to open up in front of you. Not every kid is interested in being in the kitchen, but you can get them involved using your own ways. We have laid out these 6 awesome perks of cooking with your kids.
Makes Them Come Out of the Comfort Zone
Most parents think that kitchen is a dangerous place and kids should not be there. We are not saying that you are wrong, but you need to control your fears about your child’s safety. Your kids will come out of their comfort zones only after you do so. Let them be for a while. You can remove away the glass, sharp knives and utensils keeping your kid from any threat to their well-being. They can do easy and safe activities, such as they can help you pick the vegetables, stir the cookie dough, or grind the cheese. Not only will your child enjoy it, but they will develop more optimal ways to get things done.
Optimizing the Taste and Smell Sensitivity
You can make your kid be more excited with the process of cooking. Make them familiar with the smell and taste of various spices, herbs, recipes, etc. For example, you can introduce them to the smell of cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper and much more. Recommend them to feel the difference between the taste, texture of various food items, such as processed cheese, butter, mozzarella, etc. Try all these tactics, it will work up their senses and they will be excited to do it again.
Brings Kids Closer to Various Foodstuffs
All this time, you were giving your kid the final products served at the dining table. This time, you will make your child feel the proximity to the food that will be eaten by him/her. If your child is a picky eater, this will definitely encourage him to try out the food, he was a part of the making of which. This will serve as a solution to the above-mentioned problem. While cooking that dish, introduce your kid to the benefits of that food item. Let them decide the topping that will make the food interesting instead of avoiding it. This way you are ensuring that they are getting all the nutrients and vitamins.
Spending Quality Time with Them
As we mentioned above, cooking together with your kid will ensure that you all get some quality time to yourselves. You get a chance to catch with each other’s lives and well-being. While you are stirring the cake dough, you can talk to your kids about their school activities, their friends and whether or not they are being bullied. You will discover all these things without actually letting your kid know.
Introduces Them to Patience
Cooking is a complicated process for a beginner. You can ask your kid to read the recipe out loud, measuring the food quantity or follow the steps mentioned in the tutorials well. Your child might have to wait a little longer than he expected and over time he will learn precision and patience. Carefully explain to him/her that the conditions he will face in the life will be very much similar to the cooking process.
Confidence Build Up
When your kid is engaged directly in the cooking process and watching the meal he’s preparing is edible. This fact alone will make him extremely proud of himself. If the results are excellent, he can bring that to the lunch in the school and his self-confidence will boost up instantly. Always remember, the home is the first school to a kid.
Photo by Nicole de Khors from Burst