Why you should Cook with your Kids

Even though we are short on time and sometimes it's easier to keep the kids out of the kitchen, having your child help you cook will provide some reasons why your child should be your little sous chef!

Here are some reasons from kidsarefrompluto.com and DDI Vantage Family Focus

Literacy--Cooking provides a natural way for children to learn new vocabulary and their meanings. As you are cooking, talk to your child about the ingredients, the cooking processes , and the changes occur. Read the recipe out loud to your child and go back to it as you cook. This teaches them two of the most important aspects of learning--obtaining information and executing instructions.

Food Knowledge--Cooking together is a fun opportunity to talk about the carious types of foods and their nutrition. Teach your child why eating fruits and vegetables are beneficial to your health.

Brain Development--Sensory experience are great fro brain development. It is amazing how cooking engages all of your child senses--sight, hearing, smell, touch, and of course, TASTE!

Motor Skills--Fine motor skills (fingers, hands and co-ordination) and gross motor skills (arm and body), develop through practive, practice and more practice! There are numerous cooking processes that give your child the chance to improve these skills: stirring, whisking, chopping, peeling, beating, kneading, tenderizing and much more!

Mathematical Concepts--Cooking with your child offers a hands- on way to become familiar with mathematical concepts, especially with theories relating to measurement, number and sequencing. Toddlers can learn to count the number of eggs used in making your favorite omelet and grade schoolers can get a mini lesson in fractions from how many teaspoons of salt to use in the chicken noodle soup.

Self-Esteem-- Your child will feel a great sense of accomplishment when seeing everyone eating and enjoying something they took part in making.

Family Tradition--Food plays an important role in every family's unique culture. Teach your children to follow the recipe

Developing Life Skills--Cooking is a very useful skill in life and involving your children in the kitchen at an early age is a big step towards developing their independence for the future.

It is fun! Need we say more? When kids have some input during meal preparation, they tend to ea better, especially if they are a picky eater.

**info from : kidsarefrompluto.com and DDI Vantage Family Focus