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 kids 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 kids to taste new ingredients and talk about what they like and how healthy foods make a body grow.

  
  

• Help young kids 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

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

Pancakes

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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.