Children can cook!

Having your children help you in the kitchen supports their development!

Cooking can help children learn and practice some basic math concepts and language skills. It can help build their self-confidence and lay the foundation for healthy eating habits.

It may take a little flexibility and some simple prep work but with the right expectations, your time in the kitchen with your child can be an adventure you'll both enjoy.

Bringing children into the kitchen and cooking with them can help:

• Build basic skills. Counting eggs or other ingredients, pouring water into a measuring cup, and tracking what comes first, second, third all supports the development of math skills. When you read a recipe together, you introduce new words to your child's vocabulary and promote literacy. Following steps in the recipe supports the development of listening skills.

  
  

• Encourage adventurous eating. Preschoolers are picky eaters and bringing them into the kitchen to cook can help them get excited about trying new food. Encourage children to taste new ingredients and talk about what they like and how healthy foods make a body grow.

  
  

• Help young children explore with their senses. Children learn by exploring with their senses. Invite them to listen to the whir of the mixer, pound dough, watch it rise, and smell it baking in the oven. Taste the warm bread when it is done baking!

  
  

• Boost confidence. Preschoolers love to show what they can do and working in the kitchen provides opportunities to gain a sense of accomplishment. If they helped assemble the pizza, let them know that their help was important. You could name the pizza or another dish after your child. Serve "Jalen's Pizza" or "Ella's Salad" for dinner tonight. Even if the results are not exactly what you expected, praise their efforts.

Here are some other ways children can help in the kitchen:

• stirring

• tearing lettuce

• adding ingredients

• assembling a pizza

• helping you "read" a cookbook by turning the pages

• chopping soft ingredients (with a child-safe knife)

Cooking can also help with children’s emotional development. It is a great way to spend time together. It teaches patience, problem solving, and responsibility. It builds confidence!

Here are some recipes from Karla’s Kitchen you could make together.

Beef Stroganoff with Basmati Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs (pounds) beef (steak, roast, or beef stew cubes, cut into one1-inch slices)

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon steak spice

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

• 1 tablespoon oil (any type)

• 1 cup assorted bell peppers (green, red, yellow, thinly sliced)

• 1 small onion (thinly sliced)

• 1 cup mushrooms (sliced)

• 2 cups beef stock (liquid or dissolved in water)

• 3 tablespoons butter (melted)

• 2 tablespoons flour

  
  

For the Rice:

• 2 cups basmati rice

• 4 cups cold water

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon butter

  
  

Instructions:

Cooking the Beef:

1. Heat a pan over medium heat and add one tablespoon oil.

2. Add beef slices and season with steak spice, garlic powder, seasoning salt, and soy sauce.

3. Sauté until cooked through, then move the beef to the side.

   
   

Cooking the Vegetables:

4. In the same pan, add sliced bell peppers and onions. Sauté until tender, then set aside.

   
   

Cooking the Rice:

5. Rinse basmati rice under cold water until it runs clear.

6. In a pot, combine rice, four cups of water, salt, and butter.

7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 13–15 minutes.

8. Remove from heat and let sit covered for five minutes.

   
   

Making the Stroganoff Sauce:

9. In the same pan, add mushrooms and sauté until soft.

10. Pour in beef stock and let simmer for a few minutes.

11. Add the already sautéed onions and peppers back into the pan.

12. In a small bowl, mix two tablespoons flour with three tablespoons melted butter to prevent lumps, then slowly stir into the pan to thicken the sauce. Taste and and more seasoning if needed salt pepper steak spice.

13. Return the cooked beef to the pan, mixing everything well.

    
    

Serve the beef stroganoff over a bed of fluffy basmati rice and enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter or vegan butter

• 2 pieces diced celery

• 3-4 whole carrots

• 1 whole diced yellow onion

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 10 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1.5 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 2 teaspoon dill

• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper

• 1-2 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon

• 5 cups dry egg noodles

• 3 cups diced cooked chicken

  
  

Instructions:

1. Add butter, celery, onion and carrots to a large pot. Sauté for three minutes over medium heat. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds.

   
   

2. Add stock and all seasonings. Taste before adding more. Next add bouillon a teaspoon at a time tasting as you go. Bring broth to a boil for 10 minutes.

   
   

3. Add dry egg noodles and cook till al dente. Do not over cook them as they will continue to cook after removed from heat.

   
   

4. You can use any kind of chicken for this soup. Just pre-cook and dice it up into bite sized pieces.

   
   

5. Add your chicken to your soup and remember to taste your broth again. Season again if needed.

Serve with crackers or buns.

Banana Bread (Vegan, Dairy-free, Egg-free)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons flax mixed with 6 tablespoons water

• 1 cup sugar

• 4 ripe bananas

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

• 1 cup sunflower seeds

  
  

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

   
   

2. In another medium bowl cream together the sugar, oil and ground flax. Stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla mix well.

   
   

3. Pour all wet ingredients into the dry and stir together until just combined.

   
   

4. Optional fold in chocolate chips and or sunflower seeds.

   
   

5. Pour batter into a oiled nine by five inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for one hour . Test with a tooth pick inserted into the middle of the loaf, if it comes out clean it is done. Place loaves in the pans on their sides to cool for 15 minutes. This prevents the bottoms from getting soggy.

Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea or table salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon if sensitive to salt

• 1 ¼ cups (295ml) milk, dairy or non-dairy

• 1 large egg or ( 1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoon of water. Let sit for 5 minutes)

• 5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter or vegetable oil, plus more for skillet

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, reduce if sensitive to vanilla

  
  

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter and set it aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

   
   

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. (Don’t worry if the butter solidifies slightly).

   
   

3. Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Pour in the milk mixture and stir gently with a fork until the flour is just incorporated. A few small lumps are okay. As the batter sits, it should start to bubble.

   
   

4. Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle in a few drops of water to test if it’s ready. You want them to dance around a bit and evaporate.

   
   

5. Brush the skillet with melted butter (this creates crispy edges, but you can skip it if using a quality nonstick pan).

   
   

6. Scoop the batter onto the skillet using a 1/4 cup measure or large cookie scoop, and spread each pancake into a four-inch circle.

   
   

7. After one to two minutes, the edges will look dry, and bubbles will form and pop on the surface. Flip the pancakes and cook for another one to two minutes until lightly browned and cooked in the middle.

   
   

   Serve immediately with warm syrup, butter, and berries.

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At Norwood Centre our team of qualified Early Childhood Development Subject Matter Experts work to provide tools that caregivers can use to support early childhood development. We hear you! If you have a question or concern, please ask us. We have a variety of Child Development Activities available on our website, find them at norwoodcentre.com/child-development-activities. For short-term one-on-one coaching, please call us at 780-471-3737.