3 Lessons You Didn’t Know Cooking Teaches Your Kids

Allowing my children to help me cook was something I had to grow into. I love them dearly, but many times they can slow me down. However, once I learned that they have different intelligences – Olivia is visual/spatial and Alexandra is logical/mathematical – that enhancing their learning outside the classroom is vital.

There are obvious things cooking teaches your kids. Reading the recipe can help to improve comprehension.  Measuring and adding the ingredients can help with math and fractions. And the time spent together as a family is great for strengthening the family bond.

Here’s a portion of a video we did for our Justice Brand Ambassadorship. This video shares the girls’ favorite fall activity – making sweet potato pie using my recipe.

Once I realized how much fun they had helping me in the kitchen, I was willing to let them help out more often. I also learned three things you would never expect that cooking teaches your kids.

Cooking Teaches Your Kids Chemistry

While they may not learn the period table of elements, there are basic chemistry concepts that happen in the kitchen. They will learn about phase transformation from liquid to gas as water boils. Mixing and blending all the ingredients together will teach them about mixtures. And watching liquid batter turn into fluffy cupcakes can teach them atomic structures. What other chemistry concepts can you think of that cooking teachers your kids?

Cooking Teaches Your Kids Efficiency

Harold refuses to allow the kids to cook with him. Especially if he’s frying on the stove top or using knives for chopping and slicing. For him, it’s less efficient. When the girls cook with me we have one rule: clean as you go! Well, two rules, first wash your hands, but that should be a given, right? With the clean as you go rule all dishes must be washed/rinsed as we are cooking. Once we’re done with, we clean it out. That way, when the cooking is done you can enjoy your tasty treat and not spend some much time cleaning up. This lesson in efficiency is transferrable to other aspects of life. It works for bedrooms, playrooms, bookshelves: once you’re done with it, put it away and clean it up!

Cooking Teaches Your Kids Appreciation

“That which we obtain too easily we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only which gives everything its value.” Thomas Paine

Have you ever heard about all the starving kids in China who would love to have the food you didn’t eat? Yeah me too. Many times. I don’t typically use that line with my kids. We eat what’s been made. Don’t like it? Don’t eat. But cooking teaches your kids appreciation. When they’ve put their hard work and effort into it, they will value it more. There a little lesson in economics, consumption, and current events here as well, but mostly appreciate for a job well done. As well as for the praise that comes along with it. So make sure you lay it on thick.

What other things have you learned that cooking teaches your kids? Share them with me!