One of the things I am most looking forward to when I have my own kids is teaching them how to cook. I learned a little bit from my parents when I was a child but there were also a lot of things that I had to learn on my own. That's why I really can't wait to share all that I know with my kids. But one thing I didn't even consider, when I thought about all the things I would teach my kids in the kitchen, is that cooking with your children actually helps them to develop new skills.
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Sure, they'll develop the actual skill of cooking. But there's a lot more to it than that! One of my favorite bloggers, The Gourmand Mom, talks in the CS Monitor about how cooking with kids can be big fun with a dash of skill development. And it's the kind of skills you wouldn't necessarily expect.
Some of the skills she mentions include vocabulary development (learning new ingredients), sequencing skills (following directions correctly), hand-eye coordination, math learning (measuring and counting) and even science knowledge (heating and cooling, dissolving, etc). It's fascinating but she's definitely right! As you stir the pot with your kids, they learn something. They develop a sense of pride and a feeling of accomplishment, too. None of that sounds bad, right?
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I think all of that is worth some extra time in the kitchen for you and your kids! I know that it's not always easy cooking with little ones (I remember being quite the messy child and sometimes frustrating my abuelita as she tried to teach me how to make her moros y cristianos) but if you're well prepared, patient and allow yourself some extra mess and extra time in the process, your whole family will reap the benefits.
Do you teach your kids to cook? Will you be doing it more now that you know they can learn some new skills while in the kitchen? Share with us in the comments below!
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