In today’s modern world of technology and jam-packed schedules, families are spending increasingly less quality time together. One of the best opportunities to bond with your child is through cooking. Not only is it important for children to learn their way around the kitchen, but an introduction to culinary arts can promote learning and increasing critical thinking skills. All children with varying abilities can be given a variety of cooking tasks to complete successfully, while having fun in the kitchen.
Culinary Tasks for All Abilities - We first introduced baking to my son Richie by asking him to move the pre-made cookies straight from the carton onto the baking sheet. It was easy for him to do and he was able to participate in baking cookies with us. After he mastered that task, we moved on to making cookie, brownie, and cake batter. He loves mixing the batter – he especially loves using the electronic hand-mixer. Richie loves to make various pasta dishes –anything cheesy will do! I photograph Richie as he’s cooking and following step-by-step instructions. I print and laminate them into 3x4 size pictures and we use them for future reference.
Creating Strong Ties and Bonds – When I was growing up, some of the best conversations took place in the kitchen. Whether it was my mother preparing breakfast, or all the aunts (my mother has six sisters) getting together to prepare Thanksgiving dinner, the stories told and the laughter shared in those kitchen walls are never forgotten. Growing up with all of these talented chefs, I learned some of the best family recipes that I still prepare for my family today. Their legacy lives on in my kitchen, as I prepare many of their fabulous dishes and retell those famous family stories to my children. Cooking is fun, and the gaps in-between preparation and cooking times are great opportunities for learning about what’s going on in each other’s lives. It’s a perfect time to learn about each other’s food preferences, creativity, and cooking techniques - everyone has a cooking technique.
Improve Critical Thinking Skills – Cooking offers many opportunities for increasing our children’s math and phonemic skills. Put your child(ren) in charge of reading the ingredients needed and the step-by-step instructions. I use picture recipes with Richie to help him follow along. Learning how to use kitchen tools and utensils are great for measuring, calculating, and estimating. Children can learn how to count the number of teaspoons or cups of water needed in a recipe, and they can also learn about conversions (1 cup equals 8 ounces, or 3 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon, etc.). Many recipes include nutritional data and serving size information. Ask your child if the meal you chose is a healthy one and why they think it is. Ask your child to determine if the recipe’s serving size matches the number of people in your family. If it doesn’t, then it’s time to review the recipe for whether or not it calls for cutting or doubling the recipe. If we double the recipe, how does that effect the ingredients needed? What about cooking times? How much longer should something be in the oven or on the stove?
Mixing, Stirring, and Combining – I think this is the favorite part for most kids! Once your child feels comfortable mixing or stirring with a fork, wooden spoon or spatula, they can learn other techniques. They can learn how to use a whisk for beating and whipping ingredients, or using electric hand-held beaters for learning other techniques, such as folding. Richie loves using the electric hand-held beater, but he also enjoys stirring foods in the pot.
As parents (of children with disabilities or not), we tend to forget to delegate even the easiest tasks to our children. Depending on your child’s abilities, there are many easy tasks that can be done for getting dinner ready on the table once our meal is prepared.
Setting the Table: Laying the placements (if you use them), napkins, utensils, plates, and cups are things many children can do. Just be sure to remind them that all settings must be aligned with each chair at the table. They can also serve beverages and place salt and pepper shakers on the table.
Please don’t forget that children can help cleaning up as well! Making sure that the bowls, pots and pans used are soaking in water for easy cleansing is an easy first step to learn. Children can also help with wiping the counter, table, and placing dishes and other soiled utensils into the sink.
Setting the Table: Laying the placements (if you use them), napkins, utensils, plates, and cups are things many children can do. Just be sure to remind them that all settings must be aligned with each chair at the table. They can also serve beverages and place salt and pepper shakers on the table.
Please don’t forget that children can help cleaning up as well! Making sure that the bowls, pots and pans used are soaking in water for easy cleansing is an easy first step to learn. Children can also help with wiping the counter, table, and placing dishes and other soiled utensils into the sink.
Remember to review kitchen safety with your child (safe use of knives, scissors, the stove and microwave, etc.). Try to give your child ownership of their assigned tasks, and please remember to reinforce learned skills and efforts with positive praise. Some tasks might be harder than others, but we want our children to feel excited about learning new things. The artist in all children will know when they’re not doing something with perfection. It's important to remind them that cooking and learning is fun, mistakes are natural, and practice makes perfect.
Cooking meals with our children gives us the perfect opportunity to break away from our overscheduled lives, so we can connect and create lasting memories while doing something we enjoy. We get to bring the history of our family and culture to life in our kitchen - with the added bonus of enjoying a delicious meal. While it may mean having more patience and adding extra time for preparation and clean-up, it’s worth the smiles, laughter, and the time spent bonding as a family.
© 2015 Sensory Friends
Cooking meals with our children gives us the perfect opportunity to break away from our overscheduled lives, so we can connect and create lasting memories while doing something we enjoy. We get to bring the history of our family and culture to life in our kitchen - with the added bonus of enjoying a delicious meal. While it may mean having more patience and adding extra time for preparation and clean-up, it’s worth the smiles, laughter, and the time spent bonding as a family.
© 2015 Sensory Friends
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