Cooking with Kids: Why It's Recommended for Educational Development and How to Do It!

Hello! It's already the end of the year... How are you all doing?

I'm sure there are many moms and dads who are usually busy with housework and work, and want to spend a little more time with their children during the New Year holidays!

Traveling, going out, and making special memories are wonderful, but for those who want to have fun and spend time with their children at home, we interviewed someone with experience working in a childcare setting about "cooking with children," which can also help with their intellectual development!

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What image comes to mind when you hear "cooking with children"?

Actually, cooking with children is highly recommended for intellectual development. This time, we'll tell you why cooking with children is recommended and how to easily enjoy it! 

Skills developed through cooking 

Cooking with children nurtures various skills. These generally include familiarity with ingredients, gratitude towards producers, hand and finger strength, building trust through collaboration, and understanding cooking methods and procedures. However, the benefits of cooking extend beyond these. In the practical methods section below, in addition to specific approaches, we will share what can be expected from cooking with children. 

How to incorporate it? 

First, enjoy one step with your child! So, what exactly should you do and how? 

Practical methods for cooking with children 

Here are some concrete ways to cook with children, often incorporated in nurseries.

We'll also touch on what can be expected, or the "aims," as they're called in childcare. 

1. Understanding hygiene through handwashing and sanitizing 

First, hygiene is important for cooking. This can also be learned by cooking.

First, wash your hands thoroughly. After sanitizing your hands, make a promise not to touch other things or yourself. In nurseries, we would put our hands together (or hold hands) in what we called "prayer hands" to avoid touching. This might even lead to improved concentration. 

2. Tearing vegetables and shredding mushrooms 

Easy cooking steps include tearing vegetables and shredding mushrooms. Cabbage, lettuce, shimeji mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms are typical examples of ingredients that are easy to incorporate. 

It might mean a little more washing up, but by preparing two bowls – one for the whole ingredients and one for the torn/shredded ones – you can reduce the worry of spills. Although simple, this activity helps children develop finger strength. Also, some children may be picky eaters when it comes to vegetables and mushrooms, but the experience of "cooking it themselves," even if it's simple, and seeing the ingredients before cooking, can help them overcome their dislikes.

It's also a good idea for adults to talk about "gratitude for food" and "gratitude to those who prepared it." 

Mushrooms like shimeji are easy to break apart, so even children whose finger dexterity isn't fully developed yet can enjoy this activity. 

3. Washing rice 

Washing rice stimulates the hands and fingertips, and children can also experience a subtle chemical change by "washing the rice to make it clean." If they count how many times they wash it, it also helps with their understanding of numbers, and if they've progressed further in their numerical understanding, it's also a good idea to try measuring. Of course, since they're directly touching the food, it's also a good opportunity to talk about gratitude. 

To wash rice, you can put the rice in a sieve and wash it in a large bowl to reduce the risk of spilling. 

4. Serving 

Having children help with serving can also stimulate them in various ways. The placement of bowls and plates, and the direction of chopsticks, can be an opportunity to learn manners, and using tongs for serving can help strengthen their hands and fingers.

You can also link it to numerical understanding, for example, "put three items on each plate" or "divide nine items among three people." You can also link it to an aesthetic sense by teaching them about the beauty of presentation and "neatly serving." 

This is why kindergartens have "serving duties" and encourage children to "serve themselves as they move up in class." 

5. Using a peeler or knife

Once they get used to it and their dexterity develops, it's a good idea to let them try using a peeler or a knife. By explaining that "not using them correctly can be dangerous," it leads to an understanding of safety. Of course, it also leads to the development of their hands and fingers, concentration, and even a sense of challenge and accomplishment. 

At first, cut the vegetables to be peeled or cut with a knife lengthwise and place them flat-side down on the cutting board so that children can easily cut them. Bananas, cucumbers, and carrots are easy to work with. Try to create a quiet atmosphere where they can concentrate. 

Summary 

This time, we introduced the reasons why cooking with children is recommended for educational development and specific ways to practice it. Cooking with children can lead to various positive effects.

In kindergartens, due to the large group, safety is prioritized, and things can get a bit tense when using knives or peelers. So, at home, where you can work one-on-one, please make sure to create a fun atmosphere. 

This time, I talked about starting with just one step together, but once you get used to it, I think it's a good idea to try increasing the number of steps or challenging all the steps when you have time, so that you can enjoy it differently each time!

Also, growing vegetables and fruits and connecting it to food education is fun to do with children.

Please enjoy cooking with your children and developing it further.