Baking together as a family is filled with benefits for the whole family. The wisdom that gets shared is absolutely worth the effort. Here are some benefits, to name a few:
1. Math Skills: If you’re working with older kids, doubling a recipe requires addition/multiplication skills, while halving requires division. What’s more, recipe fractions like 1/2 cup and 3/4 teaspoon bring math into the kitchen. For younger ones, its a great first exposure to measures – how many of one cup can go into another?
2. Real Life Science: Cooking is such a science experiment, and gives an opportunity for kids to get hands-on experience with basic science. With toddlers, make sure you choose recipes that don’t take too much time, and allow your toddler to help with small jobs such as tipping in ingredients, stirring the mixture, and passing utensils.
3. Self-Esteem: Cooking gives kids instant feedback, which helps them learn and grow in understanding themselves. Learning a new skill, such as baking or cooking, is known to help children develop a healthy self-esteem, and a also a stronger, more positive relationship with food!
4. Communication: A relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen gives parents and kids an opportunity to talk about anything! It also helps younger children practice their vocabulary with words used in cooking, and follow instructions (e.g., mix, stir, combine).
5. Life Skills: Cooking is a life skill, and starting at a young age helps children when they are older, to transition to adult cooking responsibilities.
6. Fun! Having fun together in the kitchen builds great memories, good vibes, and good relationship with food.
At Creating Together, we have a monthly family baking activity for families, where everybody comes together to learn a healthy muffin recipe and practice baking it with their little ones. This month, we created “Maple Apple Oatmeal Muffins”. If you weren’t able to make it, try out the recipe below at home! And be sure to keep your eye out on our calendar for the next one!
