Kids learn about cooking at an early age by tasting, smelling, seeing, feeling, and hands-on experiences. When you involve school-age kids in meal preparations, it teaches them why it’s essential to follow directions and eat healthily. It can also help build self-confidence and assist picky eaters in overcoming the struggle.
Let them go wild when helping out, even if it’s only by adding a rainbow of color to the pizza by choosing and adding toppings. Older kids can learn how to bag their meals for school or clean up after themselves. Teaching simple math concepts in the kitchen, such as fractions in kid friendly recipes and measuring ingredients, is a fun way to bond.
Basics in baking
Since recipes explain how much of each ingredient to use, baking is perfect for teaching kids basic units of measure. Explain to them that measurements can directly impact the outcomes of recipes.
Here’s a kid friendly recipe to help apply the above techniques.
Simple cake recipe
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup butter (substitute with shortening or margarine if you desire)
5 eggs
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven at 350°F.
- Mix and bake all the ingredients in one 12 inch pan.
- Beat eggs in the prepared pan, stir in yogurt, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Add dry ingredients to the liquid mix and stir gradually with each addition to combine. Use a fork or an electric mixer.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown, or until a fork inserted in center comes out clean.
Kids are easily distracted, so stick to simple yet creative recipes to keep them on task. We hope you’ll enjoy the interactive session and the never-fail delicious result, of course.
