The benefits of cooking with young children

A key underpinning of Gowrie Victoria’s philosophy is that we believe each child to be strong and capable. This view of children as capable and competent global citizens is strongly aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework, Belonging, Being and Becoming, where educators are asked to hold high expectations for each child’s learning and development. 

When educators hold high expectations for children, this means they provide a range of opportunities for children to ‘investigate, experiment, test hypotheses, imagine and explore’ (EYLF, V2.0, p.51). Within early learning settings, high expectations can be made visible in a range of ways, from inquiry-based learning, to providing delicate and high-quality resources. 

We recently spoke with Kiara, Early Years Leader at our Broadmeadows Valley service, around how the educators hold high expectations for the children’s learning when engaging in cooking experiences. Kiara says, “even though cooking can seem like a really simple experience for children, it really speaks to how we hold high expectations for the children”. Kiara highlights that cooking experiences can build skills in a range of areas for children, whilst allowing educators to spend time with a small group of children. 

Here are some of the benefits of cooking with young children, according to Kiara:

Maths and science skills 
Cooking is a fun and practical way for children to explore early maths and science concepts. As they measure ingredients, follow a sequence of steps, and observe how things change when ingredients are mixed or heated, they’re building their understanding of cause and effect, numbers, as well as more complex concepts like volume and fractions.

Motor skills 
Stirring, pouring, rolling and even cracking eggs all help little ones build their coordination and strength, particularly in their upper body, arms and hands. Movements which may seem simple for adults, like mixing a batter, requires children to have the core strength to keep their body stable, whilst having the arm strength to move only the utensil.

Sensory integration 
Cooking is a hands-on experience which engages all the senses; children feel textures, smell different flavours and spices, see colours change, and taste new things. Sensory experiences are strongly linked with an increase in vocabulary for young children, as they work with educators to identify when a texture is smooth, sticky or crunchy.

Language and communication skills 
Again, cooking experiences can be a wonderful vehicle for building comprehension skills, as well as vocabulary. Cooking generally requires children and educators to work together towards a shared goal; following a sequence of steps and instructions to reach that goal. During this, children will hear and begin to understand new words and phrases, for example ‘half a cup of flour’. Exposure to more words helps to build children’s own vocabulary.

Social skills 
Cooking experiences still rely on social skills! As children take turns, share jobs and listen to one another, they are building the ability to work together and understand each other’s thoughts, ideas and feelings. These experiences can help children to practise patience, teamwork, and build their confidence in group settings.

Personal safety 
Cooking experiences often allow children a real-world opportunity to explore the concept of personal safety and risk management. As children use utensils such as knives, or breakable kitchenware, they develop the ability to understand how to keep themselves, and others safe.

Reflective questions 

How does my service currently show that we hold high expectations for children’s learning? 
How do I feel about letting children use real tools or ingredients in the kitchen—and where do those feelings come from? 
What might be holding me or my team back from offering regular cooking experiences with children? 
How could we make our current cooking experiences more beneficial for children?