Cooking Together – Why it’s Beneficial During the Early Years
At Green Leaves, our in-house Chefs deliver regular culinary classes across all age groups, from nursery to Kindergarten. The classes are fun and engaging, and our Educators and Chefs ensure that the activities are age-appropriate and suited to the interests and skills of the children.
Cooking with children is a delightful and immersive activity for everyone involved. Not only does it create wonderful memories (many of us remember standing at the kitchen bench rolling pasta, scooping jam into jars, flattening buttery cookie dough, and the distinct aroma of sauces bubbling away when we were children), it’s a great way to encourage a variety of skills that’s beneficial throughout a lifetime.
The children at Green Leaves are enthusiastic about their culinary classes. They love their centre Chefs, who are patient and creative when guiding the children. During their classes, the children learn to listen and follow instructions, work as a team, as well as develop their fine motor skills as they practice the acts of squishing, rolling, flattening, cracking an egg, and chopping. This helps them develop the muscles in their hands to allow them to form a pencil grip and use scissors as they venture into their schooling years.
A simple recipe such as baking cookies allows the children to practice early counting and number recognition, develop shape awareness through using cookie cutters, which introduces early geometry, measuring ingredients, which encourages math skills, and the process of gathering ingredients and preparing them in a step-by-step manner following the recipe.
Cooking with children promotes creativity and imagination. Consider how many times you have improvised on a recipe? Perhaps replacing sultanas with chocolate chips? Or sprinkling coconut onto a cake to create a snow scene? Maybe mixing blue and green food colouring to get the perfect shade of teal. During their culinary classes, children use their senses to explore various ingredients and textures, which stimulates their curiosity and helps them develop their creativity. Plus, they get to experiment with flavors and learn about nutrition in a fun way.
The benefits are endless. Cooking is also an opportunity to discuss where our food comes from, and the importance of food safety and hygiene. During the early years, it’s best kept simple, but you can tailor the experience depending on your child’s age and allow for more complexity as they grow and develop.
Lastly, cooking together is an opportunity to learn about family traditions and rituals. For some people, cooking and sharing a meal is an expression of love and togetherness. That’s a benefit in itself. We hope you’ll be inspired to grab your matching aprons and start cooking with your family today. If you’re wondering which recipes to start with, we suggest you pick a simple family favourite. Alternatively, please take a look at some of our favourite recipes on our News page under Nutrition and Recipes.
