Why You Should Teach Your Kids To Cook: 19 Reasons That May Surprise You
One of the best decisions I ever made as a working mom was to teach my kids to cook. They dig in, create their own recipes, and I often come home to dinner made.
I have a ton of great memories in the kitchen with my kids. But let me tell you, it wasn’t all fun and games.
There were days I was certain one of us wasn’t gonna make it out alive! I probably never would have had the courage to tackle the task if my mother had not started baking with the kids.
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It’s Never Too Late To Teach Your Kids To Cook
When they were little my mom would get a stool and a little apron and let the kids loose in the kitchen. They would stir, mix and cookie-cut to their heart’s content. They made a massive mess and even bigger memories.
When she moved away I wish I could say I picked up the tradition right away but I didn’t. It wasn’t a conscious decision, it was more of an “I’m too busy and there are sharp knives and hot things in the kitchen” kinda thing.
And when I did invite them into the kitchen I did everything wrong. I made so many mistakes that I made it a miserable experience!
However, as they got older I realized my job as a mom is to provide them with the skills they needed for life and that included feeding themselves.
While I may have waited longer than most to get my kids cooking in the kitchen, I realized it truly is NEVER too late to get started!
10 Reasons Why Your Kids Need To Learn How To Cook
I firmly believe that a “reason” to teach anything is really important. I call it your “why”. Your why is your Northstar when what you are trying to do gets hard and you want to give up.
Below I am sharing my own personal reasons why I feel teaching your kids is so vital. As you go through this list, look for anything that resonates with you.
1. Cooking Together Is A Great Way To Bond.
As a working mom, I am always looking for ways to connect with my kids. Just like you, I have a pretty full schedule. Cooking with my kids in the kitchen was one of my favorite ways to spend one on one time with them.
I would give them a task beside me such as washing the lettuce while I chopped the veggies.
As we cooked together they would open up about what was going on in their lives, new hobbies and interests they had, and any problems they may be facing.
We would chat, catch up and brainstorm solutions while we worked on dinner.
2. Cooking And Preparing Food Is A Great Way To Get Kids To Try New Foods.
So many parents struggle with picky eaters. Kids who absolutely refuse to try anything new.
“Green foods are gross!”
-Every child at dinner time
Sound familiar? I had one of those and it was like pulling teeth to get him to try anything that was green.
Inviting your kids to prepare and cook new foods is a great way to encourage kids to try new foods.
I get mine to try them raw (if it is safe, no raw eggs!) and cooked. I ask, “what do you think will taste better, raw or cooked?”
We also have the rule of “one bite”. Everyone, including mom!, needs to eat one bite. If you don’t like it, that’s okay!
Pro Tip: Brainstorm fun ways to make the vegetable taste better such as:
- Would roasting the veggie taste different from boiling it?
- What spice should we try next?
- How do you think it would taste if we added_________?
Take note of their ideas and try it next time!
3. Cooking And Baking Will Build Your Child’s Confidence.
As someone who lacks confidence, I knew I needed to help my little one when I saw her falling into the same trap.
Cooking and baking are amazing ways to help our kids build the confidence they need to face the world.
Encouraging her to follow her passion for baking and making sure she hears me say “you can totally do that” when she wants to try something a bit on the tricky side has really helped build her confidence.
She loves decorating cookies, cupcakes, and now cakes. Here is her latest project inspired by Wilton’s Cake Decorating Instagram Account.
4. Cooking Teaches Valuable Math Skills.
My daughter struggles with math. Even though we have found a program that does work (CTCMath in case you wanted to know!), seeing math “in real life” has had a massive impact.
As I mentioned above she loves to bake. Baking has a TON of practical math in it. Measuring, mixing, doubling or splitting the recipe as needed.
She can add up costs of ingredients, divide recipes and figure out how to convert measurements.
Baking and cooking is a great way to reinforce math in a new practical way.
Next time you cook with your kids, why not let them double the recipe for you?
5. Reading A Recipe Improves Reading Comprehension.
Do you have a child who struggles to read or hates to read? Cooking is a great way to show that reading has practical value.
Dig out their favorite cookie recipe. Get them to read the recipe and follow the directions. When they eat what they cooked they will make the connection that reading is a skill of very practical benefits and yummy results!
6. Baking Demonstrates Chemistry In Action.
Have you ever noticed how much science is going on in the kitchen when you are cooking? I didn’t until I started homeschooling. It is one of those things that once you start “seeing it” you can’t unsee it.
This binds, this rises, etc. This mixed with that creates this…
If you want a great example, check out this book from Magic School Bus called The Magic School Bus Gets Baked in a Cake: A Book about Kitchen Chemistry
Click here to grab the lesson plans from Scholastic.
This cartoon show was the one that opened my eyes to how much science is included in baking. Plus, I loved watching Magic School Bus!
I also used one of my favorite STEAM books called STEAM KIDS in the Kitchen.
If you prefer a guided approach to science fun in the kitchen you will love this book.
Packed with a whopping 70+ activities and recipes, this book will get the kids having fun and learning in the kitchen.
You can get the e-book shown in the pictures above here or on Amazon here. It’s a book your kids will pull off the shelf over and over again!
7. Cooking Is A Great Way To Teach Geography And Cultures.
One of our favorite audiobook resources for younger kids is Around The World Stories.
With their program, you learn about the different countries around the world and in the parent guide, you get a story full of discussion topics, recipes, and activities to connect your child with the culture.
We really enjoyed baking up German Apple Strudel with vanilla sauce and whipped cream! It was so much fun listening as they learned about Germany.
You can see it here on Instagram.
If you are studying a new country why not look for a recipe your kids can cook up in the kitchen? It is a great way to have fun, including hands-on creativity, and work on their cooking skills!
8. Cooking Encourages Global Understanding
Raising children that are aware of the impact we have on our planet and other humans in it is a goal as a parent.
Cooking is a great way to address questions such as:
- Where does our food come from?
- What part of the earth did this spice grow in?
- How far did it travel to get here?
- What is the history of this recipe?
Asking these questions is a great way to reinforce what they are learning in their studies and encourage global awareness.
9. Cooking Teaches Our Kids To Learn To Fail.
Not every recipe your kids make will be amazing. I still remember the first time my little one mixed up baking soda with baking powder. She was so upset.
She has also witnessed my own failure in trying to convert a recipe to gluten-free. Don’t these look yummy?? LOL
Learning to fail is a vital life skill.
We all make mistakes and need to learn how to handle it with grace. Cooking is a great way to learn resilience. After failing, use this time to teach our kids how to overcome failure and do better next time.
10. Cooking Teaches Teamwork.
Do your kids have odd arguments? Teaching your kids to cook can help fix that!
One day when I was sick, kids were cooking together and had an argument about the proper way to peel a potato. #siblings. One wanted to wash the potato first then peel it. The other wanted to peel then wash. (Does this even matter???)
Either way, I sat back and shut up. They worked it out.
Cooking with others builds character and provides kids with skills they need for life such as teamwork, communicating with others clearly, following directions, problem-solving, and opens them up to trying new things.
By the way, if you are curious, they decided to split the pile of potatoes each peeling them their own way and the chicken soup was delicious.
This is the “potato war soup!”
9 Reasons Why Moms Spend Time Teaching Their Kids To Cook
Turns out I am not the only mom who thinks cooking is a vital skill to teach our kids. I decided to ask in my online community to share their WHY if they had one.
I got over 120 comments! While I can not share all the comments, with their permission I wanted to share a few more reasons that really touched my heart and gave me a new perspective to think about.
Brea said, “My ultimate goal as a mom is to prepare my children to be independent adults. A huge part of that is the basic need of nutrition and cooking.”
Cyndi said, “Because humans need to be able to feed themselves. And with comfort. We talk about the difference between just getting food into your body (desperation) vs feeling nurtured and comforted because what you are eating evokes pleasant memories. I want them to be able to self-comfort and how we nourish ourselves is part of that.”
Kristin said, “I try to follow a lot of Janet Landsbury parenting and there is a common idea of trying to work yourself out of a job. It’s nice to be needed and always be open to them but to not create dependencies. Children are capable beings.”
You may also enjoy:
- How To Teach Your Kids To Cook
- How To Find The Time To Teach Your Kids To Cook
- Meal Planning And Menu Help
Becky said, “My mom didn’t teach me how to cook (she is a great cook). I got married pretty young, and neither of us knew how to make meals for ourselves. Cereal and sandwiches get old after a while. It took years to get, following recipes and such down to nearly perfect. I won’t let this happen to my kids.”
Donelle says, “I have taught all my kids to cook. My youngest son I have a class in his homeschool it has helped him learn to cook and try different things.
He is really really hard to please but he finds a recipe that he wants to try and he makes a list we go to the store and he gets everything he needs.
It teaches him to be independent but at the same time, it teaches him to budget and everything. He loves it. Something he used to hate makes it better.”
Pro Tip: Get your kids to go through the shopping flyers! It is a great way to teach meal planning and budgeting skills that are needed for learning to cook.
Jayde said, “Our kids were adopted from China as older kids and never saw a kitchen or taught life skills. I’m teaching them so they can help provide meals for our family, learn math and help provide for their own family one day.
We try to eat healthy and from scratch as much as possible. I want them to know how to make healthy meals. Also, they are so joy-filled when they see what they’ve cooked for all of us to enjoy.”
Callie says, “Mine has multiple food allergies. I wanted my kid to understand how food prep worked and what she’d need to do to keep herself safe. Now, at 9, she loves loves loves to cook, and knows exactly what to look for on labels, etc.”
Mattea says, “Two reasons: It would make it easier for me if they can make snacks and cook meals. Also, when they are adults they will be able to meal plan, cook and eat healthy. My concern is a family history of heart disease and cooking at home is a great start in good health.”
Joy says, “Yes, it is a skill needed for independence and health. In addition, cooking, in my family, has always been an expression of love. We cook to serve each other, to comfort each other and to say “I love you.”
My Grandmothers and Great Grandmother always prepared family meals. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, friends were always welcome to stop in and always offered a plate of food.
We spent weekends together. Food provides family time, a chance to connect, a medium over which to hash out issues. Food is so much more than independence and nutrition. Food is love.”
3 Easy Ways To Teach Your Kids To Cook
After reading all these reasons, I hope you are encouraged and inspired to get cooking with your kids.
If inviting your kids in the kitchen seems a little overwhelming, here are 3 amazingly easy ways to get started.
1. Watch Cooking Shows & Read Recipe Books
One mom shared how watching cooking shows gave her kids the skills they needed and desire to cook.
She recommends these shows:
- Alton Brown’s Good Eats – You can find some of them on Youtube
- Chef’s Table found on Netflix
- The Food Network.
Let them loose on the family cookbooks or invest in a few designed for kids, such as:
Basically let your kids watch videos, read cookbooks, and get messy.
2. Invite Them In The Kitchen
As you know, I believe one of the best things you can do for your kids and you is to teach your kids to cook.
This not only saves you time and takes one thing off your to do list but it gives your kids life skills they will use and builds their confidence to try new things!
I realize that you might be too overwhelmed by mealtime to even think about including your kids in the meal prep process.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! With a little bit of organization and planning, you can easily teach your kids some really beneficial life skills and basic recipes to cook in the kitchen.
To help you out I’ve put together a free email course.
3. Outsource It!
Maybe you don’t have time to teach your kids or you don’t want to. Nothing wrong with that!
Online Cooking Classes For Kids
I used Kids Cook Real Food’s online course to teach my kids proper knife skills because I had no idea how to use a knife the right way!
I ended up investing in the full program because my “sassy teenagers” were going through a season of “let’s argue with everything mom says”. I decided picking my battles was smart advice and cooking wasn’t one of them.
Handing them off to this program was amazing! You can read about our experience here.
If you have older kids, I highly recommend checking out the Kids Cook Solo Program for kids 8 years old and up. (read about it here)
Cooking Lessons For Kids
If you have a SchoolhouseTeachers Membership they have a ton of cooking, health and nutrition courses for all ages.
Here are just a few courses they offer:
- Fun with Cooking
- Whole Foods Cooking with Sue Gregg
- Family Nutrition Homeschool Health and Fitness Course
- High School Home Economics
- Learning About World Cultures
- Foods and Food Production
- And more!
Browse the selections with your kids and see which one sparks their interests.
Teaching your kids to cook can be one of the best ways to connect with your kids, teach them life skills, and create the best lasting memories.
Of course, I’d be lying if I didn’t say my favorite reason is walking into a hot dinner I DIDN’T make!
Do you teach your kids to cook? What is your reason?
Take care
Jen
PS. Both of my kids are pretty comfortable in the kitchen because I feel it is a needed life skill. You can read about one of our favorite programs and our thoughts here: Homeschool Cooking Curriculum We Love – Our Experience With the Kids Cook Real Food Program
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Hi, I’m Jen. I help working moms juggle their career and homeschool their kids by providing support, systems and tools. You are warmly invited to Join the Online Community Here!
