When you’re a parent, you have decided to take on the awesome task of helping your children to learn the kinds of skills that they need in order to develop into strong, smart and capable adults. This means that every day, you are in the position where they look to you to teach them something interesting, insightful or new.
And out of all of the things that you will show them over the course of several years, if there’s one skill that they can start to learn, even from a very young age, it would be to cook. Sure, it might initially surprise you that there are actually many benefits that come with teaching someone who is in kindergarten or elementary school cooking skills, but if you continue to read this article, you’ll soon see why having your kids spend time with you in the kitchen is such a smart thing to do.
It teaches them to follow instructions. Whether it’s a salad or a cake, in order for a dish to turn out successfully, you have to follow a set of instructions. So, if that means having your child listen to your directives or you show them how to read a recipe, cooking is a great way from them to be methodical in their approach to accomplishing things.
It is beneficial for their brain development. One of the most awesome things about learning how to cook is that it helps you to get better in touch with all of your senses: seeing, smelling, hearing, touching and of course, tasting. And when you do that, it ultimately supports your brain development as a direct result.
It boosts their self-esteem. When a lot of us were first learning how to cook, we remember the pride and joy we felt when we pulled something out of the oven and it looked just like we hoped it would. Your child can also feel proud when they set out to make something and they are able to complete it (and eat it).
It increases their vocabulary. When you’re shopping in a grocery store to get the foods that you need, when you’re reading a recipe to cook your meals, even when you’re reaching into your cabinets to get a casserole dish or one of your fondue sets, the one thing that all of these steps have in common is that different words are used. So, when you incorporate your child into the cooking process, what this ultimately does is help to increase their vocabulary.
It gives them quality time with you. Life has so many demands that can keep us from spending as much time with our loved ones as we would like; especially when it comes to our children. But, when you make a point to teach them how to cook with you, that’s a good couple of hours where you can prepare food together but also spend quality time hanging out simply hanging out as well. Plus, it helps to create memories that you both can share for a lifetime. And that might just be the greatest benefit of all.
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