Cooking with kids teaches healthy eating, life skills and more

By TRACEE M HERBAUGH Associated Press To raise adventurous self-sufficient and health-conscious eaters get kids in the kitchen It may sound too simple but those are just a sparse of the benefits when kids learn to cook Cooking builds life skills promotes healthy eating boosts confidence and strengthens family bonds all while making mealtime fun It helps to think of it as less of a chore and more of an opportunity to be together as a family commented Jessica Battilana staff editor at King Arthur Baking Company which offers adult and children s cooking classes Danielle McWilliams cooks with her daughters Reese right and Remi at their New Jersey home on Oct Danielle McWilliams via AP The food doesn t need to be fancy and it doesn t all have to be homemade The resources parents make early on to encourage their kids to participate in mealtime will pay dividends later when they re able to handle kitchen tasks independently Battilana noted Whether your child loves to cook or has never held a knife it s not too late to start building these skills Several of the rewards A sense of accomplishment If the COVID pandemic taught us anything it was the importance of knowing how to cook During the lockdown Becca Cooper Leebove a mom of two in the Denver area began teaching her children how to do simple tasks in the kitchen Just and at the time they began by dumping ingredients into a stand mixer rolling out dough or icing a cake This undated photo provided by King Arthur Baking Co shows a pan of gingerbread rolls Rick Holbrook King Arthur Baking Co via AP Five years later their skills continue to grow My ultimate goal has invariably been family time something to do together that s engaging but also vital to get them off their phones or iPads Leebove revealed They also love to brag when it s done and we all eat their masterpiece together Leebove disclosed They clean up after cooking and know how to set the table Now that Leebove s son is he helps chop veggies and saut meat Confidence and real-world skills like math It can feel special to kids to be included in an adult activity mentioned Cristi Donoso from Alexandria Virginia Donoso is a speech therapist and encourages her clients to cook with their kids in age-appropriate tactics She s also the mother to a -year-old who has been baking with her since toddlerhood Related Articles Recipe Pork chop crusty rolls conjure delicious memories of Hong Kong These streamlined Neapolitan meatballs are made with panko breadcrumbs Pork chop crusty rolls offer a taste of Hong Kong Homemade manicotti the star of budget dinner for Cheesy homemade manicotti is the star of this budget dinner for four There s a lot of real-world learning involved Donoso disclosed math concepts language skills and self-control Kids learn by reading and following a step-by-step recipe It takes concentration and other executive functioning skills They also learn how to be safe in a kitchen requiring self-control Exposure and sensory experience with food help kids become well-rounded eaters she commented Your food experience isn t just about sitting down to eat It s about making a list going to the store and feeling the fruit she stated An adventurous palate Eric Brown along with his wife Elizabeth Brown opened Third Space Kitchen in August At their two Massachusetts locations they offer cooking classes for kids often through day camps birthday parties or as a school-break activity One thing I see a lot is that they re willing to experiment Brown mentioned and knowing what s in the food helps kids get over any squeamishness Or perhaps the common aversion to veggies Danielle McWilliams daughters Reese right and Remi cook at their New Jersey home on on Oct Danielle McWilliams via AP Younger kids might start by making pizza dough from scratch or decorating cupcakes Older kids have participated in full-cake icing competitions As the programs progress I hear less of Eww I won t touch that and more of What is that I ll try it mentioned Brown who has four kids of his own Paving the way for healthy eating Childhood obesity rates have been rising for decades and studies have show a positive correlation between healthy eating and home cooking which can be a good alternative to ultraprocessed foods Jennifer Schittino a Maryland-based working mom of two young children wants to help them shape healthier habits for the future It s both healthier and cheaper to cook from scratch she explained She also wants her children to understand the fundamentals so they can make healthy and nutritious meals on a limited budget Her kids know how to use knives and rolling pins as well as hand-crank pasta separate an egg cut an avocado and toss pizza Parents might learn about cooking too Even if you re not a skilled home cook don t be intimidated teaching kids to be one Start simple Make a list of things that kids can learn to master Battilana suggested It might include scrambled eggs a quesadilla with guacamole or pasta with steamed veggies Practice making those things often so you get good at them can shop for them easily and make them without a recipe she explained King Arthur has a kids baking cookbook due out in September Sweet and Salty Cooking and shopping for fresh foods become a lot less intimidating the more you do it I think kids are far more capable in the kitchen than we give them credit for Battilana stated They may be slower messier but they re capable of a lot and usually pretty eager to try new foods especially if they ve had a hand in making them Tracee M Herbaugh writes frequently about Lifestyles topics for The Associated Press She can be reached at www linkedin com in traceeherbaugh