
Summertime is a great time to cook with so many fresh fruits and vegetables now in season. With a rainbow of colors and flavors to choose from, there are many options to make delicious meals and snacks for your family. As you plan and prepare your meals, invite your child to cook with you and help prepare the meal. Cooking with your child is a great way to spend time together while offering your child many learning opportunities.
Some of the benefits and skills your child will learn while creating a yummy snack or meal with you are:
- Developing small muscle control and eye-hand coordination as they help chop, squeeze, pour, mix, and measure ingredients.
- Learning math concepts like counting, adding, fractions, and patterning.
- Being introduced to reading concepts and new words as you read a recipe together.
- Exposure to science when parents and caregivers talk about how food grows and changes during the cooking process (boiling water becomes steam).
- Gaining a sense of pride and confidence as they prepare and enjoy the final product.
HAPPY COOKING!
Source:Â Cooking with Preschool Children
https://growing-minds.org/documents/cooking-preschool-children.pdf/
