There are so many benefits to cooking with your children. Not only is it a fun way to spend time with your children, it also helps teach your children about food safety and hygiene as well as dangers from sharp utensils and heat from an oven. There are also many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) benefits too. These included fractions, capacity, weight and time.
In todays blog, we’re here to help persuade you to get into the kitchen with your kids! We’ve mentioned some of the benefits above and we will go into more depth about the benefits below. Finally, we're also going to share a few easy food ideas to make with your children. Bon Appetit!
Why Cooking is Beneficial to Your Child
As we’ve already stated above, there are so many benefits of cooking with children. The fine motor skills that shredding and chopping helps build, the reading skills needed for following a recipe, the maths skills needed for measuring ingredients, all these really support their learning. Children also take a lot of pride in making the food they cook and is a great way to introduce new foods to fussy eaters. While children might choose to eat their favourites every day, it’s so important for children to try new foods that have a variety of healthy ingredients.
Children who help out with cooking tend to eat healthier foods and be more likely to try new foods if they help prepare them. Cooking is also all about fractions and practical applications of maths. It can help children understand these mathematical concepts in a real life context. Cooking allows children to explore their senses including touching different textures, smelling a variety of ingredients and the feel of different ingredients. Cooking really does have many advantages!
Some Easy Recipes to Try
As we have already talked about, cooking is really beneficial to your child, but now you have to decide what to cook! Here are some easy ideas to give you a head start.
1. Veggie crumble– Less bother than a pie, vegetable crumble is a great way to use up what you have in the fridge, cupboard or freezer! You can change the filling with the seasons making green and summery fillings in the spring and summer and heartier root vegetable crumbles in the winter.
2. Kids’ minestrone soup- Italian vegetable soups are light and healthy - kids can do most of the preparation and can help with flavouring the soup. It is best for an adult to do the actual cooking at the hob but kids can watch if they can do this from a safe distance on a stable stool or step. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/kids_minestrone_soup_40496
3. Carrot cake flapjacks- If you're partial to a flapjack, you'll love this carrot cake-inspired recipe, packed with rolled oats, carrots and walnuts for crunch, then finished with a citrussy cream cheese drizzle. Super-easy for even beginner bakers to make, this teatime treat makes a great on-the-go snack too. https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/carrot-cake-flapjacks.html
4. Veggie fritters- An easy vegetable fritter recipe for all the family. Perfect to make with the kids or for the kids and you can add any grated vegetables you like. This one is made with grated butternut squash and sweetcorn. So simple! https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/veggie_fritters_56875
5. Apple cinnamon doughnuts- These apple doughnuts couldn't be easier. Wrap apple rings in strips of puff pastry, glaze with egg, bake in the oven, then whilst they’re still warm, they’re sprinkled with cinnamon sugar = apple cinnamon doughnuts!
We hope you have fun trying out some of the above recipe ideas! Cooking is a great activity to do with your children in so many ways.
About Us:
Orchidale Children's Nursery is based in a fantastic converted bungalow building in Taverham, 15 minutes from Norwich with childcare places for 2 months-5 year olds. We can offer your child fabulous fun filled days of activities to help children learn and make lots of new friends. We have a fabulous outdoor space with so many area's of learning. Including a separate 0-2's garden, forest school space, large lawn for the children to run around on and so much more! Please come and see us, our beautiful learning area's and our magical garden. If you are searching for a Day Nursery in Norwich, Norfolk then we are the Children's Nursery that goes the extra mile for you and your children.
Visit the Orchidale Nursery website at: www.orchidale.co.uk
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