Healthy eating habits are developed early, and with schools closed and so much time being spent at home, what better time to get your kids in the kitchen than now? Engaging kids in cooking can help spark an interest in new and healthy foods, while also being a fun activity that teaches math, science, and literacy skills.
Start with some basic food safety:
- Wash hands with soap and water before and after touching food, and wash food prep surfaces. Have young children count to 20 while washing to practice with numbers.
- Keep long hair pulled back and sleeves rolled up.
- Don’t let children lick their fingers or put their hands in their mouths, or lick utensils and put them back into the food you are cooking.
To get your kids excited about cooking:
- Show your kids your grocery store’s website and have them help pick out ingredients – maybe something they haven’t tried before like a new fruit or vegetable. If they can, have them write out the shopping list.
- Help them choose a recipe from your cookbooks or search online, using ingredients you have or know you can purchase. While you can focus on healthy meals, let them select a fun snack like popcorn balls or cookies you can bake together.
There are different tasks that are best suited to different ages. See this article from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for age-appropriate kitchen tasks for kids. Perhaps some of these tasks can double as learning for school, if age appropriate.
- Math: If you halve or double a recipe, have your child calculate the changes to the amounts. Talk about fractions using recipe cups, and have them count ingredients like eggs.
- Science: Use the internet to look up how baking powder and baking soda work, or what’s happening when marshmallows turn golden-brown in the oven.
- Literacy: Have your child read the recipe and instructions aloud, and follow each step to the final food. This helps improve reading comprehension and expand vocabulary.
For more activities: America’s Test Kitchen Kids
Then, sit together, eat and enjoy your food with your family!