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I’ve always been a huge advocate for baking with toddlers, and children of all ages for that matter. Even before I had children I knew that baking with them was something that I wanted to do. Being in the kitchen can bring so much joy into life.
I love the smell of fresh baked bread. Eating the cookie dough before it goes into the oven. Altering a recipe and hoping that it turns out. I wanted my children to share in this joy, even as toddlers.
When I first started having Batman help me in the kitchen he was 1. He started asking to help mommy because he simply wanted to spend time with me. As I kept having him help me I realized he was reaping more benefits then simply getting more “mommy time”.
Spending time in the kitchen has many benefits for little ones. Baking with toddlers helps them to develop habits and skills that help them throughout their entire lives. It can actually make them better people. And hey, isn’t that what we want for our children? For them to be the best individuals that they can possibly be.
Here are 6 reasons you should start baking with your toddler today:
1. They will develop fine motor skills.
Pouring liquid into a cup and using measuring spoons are only a few ways in which toddlers can improve their fine motor skills while baking. They can learn to chop (safely that is). They can learn to mix and stir. They increase grip while squeezing lemons and limes.
As they spend more and more time repeating the same movements in the kitchen toddlers gain better coordination. The water being poured into the bowl eventually will all make it to its destination. The flour in the measuring cup won’t always end up dumped all over the counter. These are learned skills and abilities that as parents we can help our toddlers master.
2. They will learn basic skills.
When measuring out the amount of flour, sugar, eggs, etc. toddlers are counting. This can quickly lead to learning to add as you work with your toddler. They are exposed to fractions at an early age which will only increase their ability to learn them.
Reading a recipe with a toddler exposes them to language and helps develop their vocabulary. Toddlers gain a greater ability to listen as recipe steps are explained to them. Toddlers increase their ability to follow directions as they follow those same recipes.
3. They will explore their senses.
Toddlers are able to explore and learn about the 5 senses as they bake alongside you in the kitchen. This is so important to their eating habits, especially if they are picky eaters. The more a toddler smells, tastes, and touches (or plays with) their food, the more comfortable they are with it. The more comfortable they are with their food, the more likely they are to eat it and try new things.
Toddlers can be given the opportunity to smell not only individual ingredients, but the dish as a whole. They will smell freshly baked cookies, homemade bread, cinnamon, and other spices. If something smells great, we are more likely to eat it. This holds true for toddlers as well.
Toddlers are able to taste the food as they are helping to bake it. Tasting over and over and over again is what leads a toddler to like food. It can take at least 15 times tasting a new food before a toddler will like it. Again, it’s about becoming comfortable with the food itself.
Toddlers love to play with their food. When they are baking they are given permission to play with it and become more comfortable. This is great hands-on sensory play. Kneading dough, rolling out pie crust and cutting out cookies with cookie cutters are just a few ways toddlers can help. And they love it! At least mine does!!!
Two lesser thought about senses in the kitchen are hearing and sight. But they too can be explored with some guidance. The whirring of the blender or the crack of an egg can be pointed out to a toddler. The golden brown of the bread loaf can be presented to them; or the crispy edges of the just done cookies.
4. They will boost their self-esteem.
As a parent you can help nuture and build a toddler’s self-esteem through baking and spending time with them in the kitchen. As they successfully perform tasks they gain a sense of accomplishment. Even the simplest things as scooping the flour into the bowl leaves a toddler feeling proud.
Toddlers are able to have failures in the kitchen that don’t have devastating consequences. If the sugar is replaced with salt the cookies may taste terrible, but no one will die. It becomes a safe environment for toddlers to fail and learn from their failures. They can learn to say “I can” as they learn from those failures as opposed to saying “I can’t”.
As their confidence grows so does their willingness to try new things. They also grow into young adults that are confident in their own eating choices. They are young adults that learned as toddlers that they are capable of making good and healthy decisions.
5. They will develop a healthy relationship with food.
Baking with toddlers provides the opportunity at a very young age to have conversations about health and healthy eating habits. Healthy habits can be developed in the kitchen. Substituting healthy ingredients for less healthy ones encourages these healthy habits. Proper food preparation and handling can be taught as well.
Not only will toddlers develop healthier eating habits by cooking and baking with a parent, but it also encourages them to have an adventurous palate. Most toddlers want to taste what they helped make. If toddlers are playing with the food, it usually makes it into their mouths at some point. They may discover they like pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, or black bean brownies when they themselves helped in the preparation.
6. They will strengthen bonds.
Toddlers want to spend time with their parents. It’s in their nature. Not only does baking with a toddler allow them to spend quality time with a parent, additionally it leads to the creation of memories. Memories that they will have for a lifetime. Memories that will influence the way in which they interact in the kitchen with their own children someday.
Is it messy to bake with a toddler? It can be. Is it frustrating to bake with a toddler? Sometimes. Does it take longer to bake with a toddler? Usually. Is it worth it? Definitly!!!
Try it for yourself, and for your your toddler. Then add a comment letting me know how it went!
