Do you have difficulties to
manage cooking time? A short time to prepare the foods while children need some
attentions, is situation that often found in family daily life. Especially with
baby or toddler in it. If take children to sleep were not the option, then we
can give children some activities that keep them busy.
What kind of activity?
You can give your children time
to take free play. Let them choose whatever play or toy they want to do. But it
is not always the solution, isn’t? Children can be easily bored by their already
‘played for many times’ activities or toys.
If these are the cases, just try
to involve the children into the kitchen activities. Is it dangerous? Of course
parents can put the safety first. To do this, other than make the activities
under our supervision, we should also consider age appropriate task and equipments.
For 2-3 years old children we can
supervise them to rinse vegetable (or fruit), tear vegetable, pour ingredients,
mold, or simply give them small amount of vegetables to do whatever they want
to do. For children age 4-6, we can give them opportunity to measure
ingredients, cut with age approriate knife (butter knife or specially made
knife), pour, mix, peeling skinny food (egg, fruit, banana, etc), and serve
foods in simple way.
![]() |
Age appropriate task: tear vegetable leaves |
![]() |
Develop motoric skills: making the dough |
Age appropriate cooking and baking
activities, positively influence children. A
research about programmed cooking activities in schools showed that cooking
programs can influence children’s food-related preferences. Such as preference
toward vegetables and fruits lead to more healthy foods and habits (Hersch,
Perdue, Ambroz, & Boucher, 2014). But cooking or baking at home doesn’t has
to be programmed or structured. We can just go with the flow, looking forward
what ingredients are available and what activities can be engage.
Cooking and baking activities set
opportunity for bonding between
children and parents, strenghten by interaction throughout the activities. Children
can feel and memorize them as fun experience with their parents. These activities
also can serve a fun way to train children to follow direction and gain confindence.
The mastery of cooking or baking skills can boost their self-efficacy, that believe that they can (Leslie&Barbara, 2013).
But do not expect children to do the job perfectly or nearly well as adults. Praise
them for their effort and intention to help.
![]() |
Identifying shapes: mould dough into pieces with shapes |
Cooking and baking activities
also serve a great way to develop children’s fine motoric skills. For examples through tear spinach leaves,
crack eggs, and mould dough. Children also can learn about taste, smell, colour, and shape since they encounter directly with various vegetables, fruits,
and ingredients. Basic mathematics
can be taught also through measure the ingredients, count fish, and count donuts
that have been made.
And guess what? We can also
explain about science! There are so
many real life example of science in kitchen activities. The change of colour,
the swell of dough, create colour from other colours mixture, and the change of
food forms. We can explain how these phenomena can happen. We can explain in
simple way for younger children, fitting their understanding.
It is an idea that not too difficult we can attempt to. We do not need expensive materials or tools. We can use what we have in our kitchen and ask children what activities they want to do. So, let's cook kids!
It is an idea that not too difficult we can attempt to. We do not need expensive materials or tools. We can use what we have in our kitchen and ask children what activities they want to do. So, let's cook kids!
(Novita)
References
Hersch, D., Perdue, L., Ambroz, T.
& Boucher, J. L. (2014). The Impact of Cooking Classes on Food-Related
Preferences, Attitudes, and Behaviors of School-Aged Children: A Systematic
Review of The Evidence, 2003-2014. Preventing
Chronic Disease 2014. 11. 140267.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/ped11.140267.
Leslie, C.S.& Lohse, B.
(2013). Cooking with Kids Positively
Affects Fouth Graders’ Vegetable Preferences and Attitudes and Self-Efficacy for
Food and Cooking. Childhood Obesity 2013.
9 (6): 549-556. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2013.0076.
Tidak ada komentar :
Posting Komentar