6 Reasons to Include Your Toddler in Cooking Activities
What do you picture when someone says “kids in the kitchen”? Do you picture flour all over the kitchen counter and a flooded floor? Do you ask: “Why?” “Why would I let my kids touch the only corner in the house that’s free of their toys?”
If I knew nothing about Montessori, I would probably ask the same.
So why should you let your toddler/preschooler help you in the kitchen?
1. CONFIDENCE AND INDEPENDENCE
The Montessori approach supports the child’s independence. Part of this is giving your child age-appropriate choices. In the kitchen, this means letting your child decide when he wants to eat his snack. He also chooses what he wants to have. This can start as early as when your toddler is very young. You can give him a simple choice between two snacks that you chose for him. For example, you can ask: “Would you like to have an apple or a banana for a snack”? As your toddler grows older, he can wash the apple or peel the banana. As his skills and confidence increase, you can leave snacks available to him within his reach. That way he can prepare his own snack. Remember one thing: You make the decision about which foods are available to him, while he picks which one he wants to eat and when. The process is not only great for building your child’s independence and confidence. By doing this, he’ll also practice decision making and listening to his hunger cues.
Inspiration for independent snack preparation:
On the left: banana peeling for the youngest toddlers. Place chunks of a banana on a plate. Cut horizontally the skin of each chunk for easy opening and peeling. Include a bowl (or a compost bin) for banana peels.
On the right: spreading activity (offer crackers, something to spread - for example, cream cheese or hummus, and a child-sized spreader)
2. Community feeling and responsibility
A toddler who helps in the kitchen will see herself as a useful member of her community (family). Because she contributes with a meaningful activity (food prepping, cooking).
This is the most obvious in Montessori classrooms (note: this was pre-Covid times). Children take turns in preparing snacks for the classroom. Oftentimes, the older child works alongside a younger friend.
Picture this: an older child with his younger friend will decide to make muffins for the whole classroom. They set up everything they need on a table. An older child helps the younger one to tie her apron, then she starts reading directions of the muffin recipe. The younger child listens and does what her friend says. She starts pouring pre-measured ingredients into the bowl and mixing them together. The older child helps with mixing when needed. This is a great example of collaboration that happens organically in Montessori classrooms. The older child practices her leadership skills while the younger child follows her directions. Together they discuss and problem solve. For example, when the dough is too thick, they might ask their guide (the teacher) what to do, or they’ll remember that adding a little water helps. Finally, they clean up when they’re done. Cleaning up is a big part of the whole process and the least favorite one for most children, but they do that anyway. This teaches them to be responsible for their own work.
3. Positive relationship with food
Have a picky eater at home? Including them in the kitchen works like magic. Your child will be more likely to try new foods if he is involved in their preparation. I started including Emma once we got her a learning tower. She was 14 months old. We started with washing fruits and vegetables. This is a simple activity that even a very young toddler can manage by himself. Emma often joins me when I make dinner. She washes all the vegetables. While I cut them, she usually starts snacking on them. Before the dinner is on the table, she eats a small plate of vegetables that I make for her.
4. Development of logical thinking and memory
Your child learns about sequencing when cooking and baking. Some things are done first; for instance, we mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, then we add the dry ingredients into the mixture with wet ingredients. Your child will learn that sequence matters. And if we change things, the final result will change too. For example, if he adds too much water into a bowl with dough, the dough will be too watery to work with. This happened a couple of times in the classroom and while some children were sad that they couldn’t use the dough anymore, it was a great lesson for them to add water little by little next time.
5. Focus and concentration
Cooking and meal prepping require a lot of focus that leads to concentration. Concentration is where all learning starts. Emma has been helping me in the kitchen for several months now. But I’m still in awe of how much focus she shows when she washes her vegetables or mixes spices for our homemade gingerbread spice mix. There’s no doubt that children find real meaning in these activities and they’ll stay with them for a long time.
6. Math in real life
There is a lot of math included in cooking; counting the ingredients, measuring, and weighing are just a few examples. These activities help with the development of the mathematical mind. Just think about all the different fractions the child is exposed to during baking. Your child will see that half a cup of flour looks different than one-third of a cup. He might even discover that when he puts together half a cup of water with another one, he ends up with a full cup of water. Exciting!
There are other benefits to cooking with children; for example, supporting their gross motor development or strengthening the child's hand and wrist (which is indirect preparation for writing). Most importantly, it’s a great way to create memories with your children.
Do you include your kids in cooking and meal prepping? Please share with me your favorite recipes.
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