Everyone will agree: cooking is an essential life skill that all people should master! But did you know that learning how to cook can also help promote social, mental and physical development in children?
It’s never too early to bring your child in the kitchen! Start spending more time cooking with your family and experiment with these tried-and-tested recipes from Little Zak’s!
Here are the top benefits of cooking in early childhood education.
Studies have shown that the best way for children to learn is through experience which is why at our child care centres, we introduce our children to cooking as early as possible!
To help our children learn about math, our educators assign simple tasks such as counting fruits or measuring out ingredients like flour. Reading recipes along with them is another great way to help boost their comprehension skills, and understand about different processes like blending or mixing.
Cooking is also a great way to see science in action! Our Narellan Vale child care centre children love seeing how the different ingredients are instantly transformed before their eyes into a delicious dish such as lamingtons!
It’s no secret that children are picky eaters but cooking helps them to be more adventurous when it comes to food! A curious child will always be eager to try a new dish if they’ve seen how it’s done and helped make it themselves.
At our Brookvale early learning centre, we use cooking as a great way to introduce new food to our children. We let them try each ingredient and use this chance to teach them about which food is healthy for them and what it does for their body!
Spills and messes are to be expected when taking your little one into the kitchen. Use this opportunity to teach your child how to clean up after themselves. Instead of reprimanding them, help them and show them the right way to clean up. Show them where the broom or dish rags are kept or the right process to dispose food scraps. Pretty soon, they’ll be able to do this on their own!
Cleaning up before cooking is a must for everyone! At our Little Zak’s child care centre in Mount Colah, we make it a point to help our kids wash up before entering the kitchen while teaching them the importance of staying clean, especially when handling food. It’s also a great opportunity to teach how to wash their hands properly!
