10 Benefits of Cooking with Kids…

1. Builds confidence - Remember when you first learned a new skill? It was great; you felt on top of the world knowing that you could do something all by yourself. Cooking is the same way for children; it is a giant confidence boost for them.

2. Prepares for life - When life gives you lemons, make chicken piccata. Learning to cook helps children prepare for other life lessons such as organization and following directions. While learning to cook is not only following recipes, you have to start somewhere.

3. Sparks creativity - What kind of new creations will your children come up with in the kitchen? Maybe they will develop the new family favorite meal. Between all of the different sights, sounds and flavors, all of the senses become aware in the kitchen. Creativity begins to flourish and the imagination starts to think beyond the typical, ordinary cuisine.

4. Develops discipline - Learning to cook teaches the discipline of following instructions and builds the mind. When a child is in the kitchen, they become the master of their domain and learn to respect everything around them.

5. Patience - Patience is a soufflé, just ask any chef. If your child needs to work on patience, it is important to get them into the kitchen. All good things come to those who wait. Let them experiment with a cake that is not fully baked or garlic that is not completely roasted, then explain the importance of being patient and show them how the finished product is so much better.

6. Science - If you ever get the chance to watch Alton Brown in action, you will be amazed at the amount of science that goes into cooking. Help your children prepare for school by teaching them what yeast does to dough and why toast cannot ever be turned back into bread.

7. They ask questions - Questions are an integral part of developing a child's mind. Letting them ask questions and then figuring out the answers together will build the base for learning in years to come.

8. Expands palate - children with narrow minds develop narrow habits. Letting your child help with the cooking will cause them to expand their palate and try new things. The act of trying new things will help them out later in life when they are trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do.

9. Passes down or builds new traditions - If your family has traditions, the kitchen is a great place to begin to pass them down. Due to the close proximity, there is plenty of time to talk and explain why things are done certain ways. Also, who wouldn't want great-grandma's chocolate cookie recipe?

10. Keeps family history - Explaining why the pineapple upside down cake was made with the pineapple juice due to the sugar rations during the war is a great way to flesh out your family history. So many families in the old days, told stories and built legends in the kitchen, why not try it yourself?

We can all get to this place with patience and practice. No one is perfect, remember to have fun and make memories.

Cheers,

Stephanie