Creating memorable moments and new traditions with your children is one of the many joys of parenting. The holiday season is a great time to try new things together, and one of our favorite activities is baking! Not only is it fun, but inviting your little ones into the kitchen to help you can have big benefits for their development. Read on for a closer look at the many skills children can build in the kitchen and a few fun recipes to test out!
Build Basic Math Skills
Counting is an activity that is best learned with concrete examples, so keep an eye out for what you can count while cooking with your children. Count out the cups of gluten-free flour you’ll need to make these gluten-free gingerbread cookies or the twelve peanut butter cups it will take to create this fun melted snowman chocolate bark. You can also ask what comes first, second, and third in a recipe or count together as you toss your homemade marshmallows into powdered sugar (and then again as you drop them in cups of hot chocolate)!
A Boost to Language Development
There are so many new words to learn while baking! The names of ingredients (like coconut and clove for these cinnamon rolls) as well as processes, such as whisking and dicing. Hearing these new words can expand your child’s vocabulary and allow them to better understand the actions that go along with certain words. This is especially true for adding new verbs to your child’s vocabulary!
Enhance Motor Skills and Sensory Processing Skills
Any amount of time your child can spend measuring, mixing, or kneading in the kitchen is helping them enhance their motor function, control, and strength. All of this hands-on activity with different textures, tastes, and smells is a strong sensory experience that can be calming and regulating for a child. Making one (or all) of the following bread recipes with your child will give them ample opportunity to practice these skills. (You can even set aside a small part of the dough fto help them make a mini-loaf that’s all their own!)
Enhancing Confidence
Every child wants to be part of a family team, contributing their skills to how the household functions. Taking part in preparing food for others can help build feelings of confidence and competence in your preschooler. As you’re planning out your holiday baking, take a moment to consider what your child can do to help. Can they roll snowball cookies in coconut flakes or mix up a no-bake batch of Chex mix or muddy buddies?
Where To Start
Some tasks in the kitchen may be too advanced for your preschooler, but there are many activities that your child can do on their own or with just a little help from you. Simple jobs like pouring liquid into a bowl, using cookie cutters, or decorating delicious treats with sprinkles (like these milky donut pops) are a good fit for most preschoolers. You could prepare all of the ingredients for veggie latkes and then invite your child to add them all into a single bowl and help stir it all together.
Remember to start small! As your child grows, so will their ability to help with bigger baking tasks. The right expectations can make time spent baking with your child a delicious learning experience for all of you.
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