Cooking can be a great way to spend some quality time with your children while also teaching them some valuable learning opportunities.
Cooking involves a lot of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and can really support their development in these areas. Cooking involves a lot of measuring, weighing and capacities, it also involves time as you need to be looking at clocks or timers. You could even look at changes of state of the ingredients such as a solid bar of chocolate melting into a liquid. Cooking also supports children’s reading and following instructions when following recipes. It also supports children’s knowledge of hygiene as well as being safe around sharp utensils ad heat from an oven. Cooking also supports development of fine and gross motor skills with chopping ingredients and stirring with spoons.
Finally, children also take a lot of pride in making the food they cook and is a great way to introduce new foods to fussy eaters. While children might choose to eat their favourites every day, it’s so important for children to try new foods that have a variety of healthy ingredients.
Some fun recipes to try at home
So hopefully we’ve convinced you of the benefits in cooking with your kids, but where to start you might ask? Well here are some really simple ideas to get your creative juices flowing in the kitchen….
1. Tuna melt quesadillas- If you want a budget-friendly lunch ready in 10 minutes, these tuna melt quesadillas are for you - kid approved! https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/tuna-melt-quesadillas.html
2. Chocolate muffins– The beauty of this double chocolate muffin recipe is that the chocolate chips are slightly hidden so each explosion of chocolate is a delightful surprise. For this recipe you will need a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolate_muffins_37320
3. Quick broccoli pasta- Make broccoli the star of the show with this creamy broccoli pasta. This recipe is a doddle to prepare and will get you on your way to five a day. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/quick_broccoli_pasta_07412
4. Easy spaghetti and meatballs- These moreish meatballs are super easy to make, top them with a simple tomato sauce and stir in some spaghetti for a quick midweek meal. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/meatballs_with_tomato_70221
5. Rainbow omelette - This colourful omelette makes an easy peasy lunch for the kids. The red pepper gives it a nice crunch, serve with salad on the side. https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/rainbow-omelette.html
We hope you enjoy trying out some of ideas above, you may already of thought of loads more as you’ve been reading this. Have some fun in the kitchen with your children now you know the benefits this has for them!
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