How Cooking Teaches Kids Math, Science, and Management Skills

Your home kitchen is one of the best “classrooms” that your child could ever be in. From pots and pans to mixers and spatulas, these are all tools and opportunities to develop your kid’s math, science, and management skills. We think the kitchen is a pretty special place in your home to say the least because not only are there educational ways to connect with your children, but they’re going to be a lot of fun for you both as well! In this article we’re going to break down some of the amazing benefits that children can get from being active and cooking in the kitchen with you.

Count The Chocolate Chips! Teach Kids Math They’ll Remember Through Cooking

“Math is an important part of learning for children in the early years because it provides vital life skills. They will help children problem solve, measure and develop their own spatial awareness, and teach them how to use and understand shapes.” – HiMama

Children learn best when they are active, having fun, and able to connect. Cooking is a unique learning avenue because it checks all of these boxes making it one of the top activities for learning mathematical skills.

When kids help you cook, it engages their creativity, real learning takes place, and knowledge is retained. When you’re cooking, learning math can be as simple as:

• Count the ingredients of a recipe, one at a time, using their fingers
• Helping them to verbally be the cooking or mixing timer
• Count the plates, glasses, forks
• Subtraction once you start eating

These are a few easy ways to start involving your kids in the kitchen and developing their math skills. If you’re following a digital recipe on your phone or tablet, stand it up hands free using the sousShelf and allow them to read off the amount of the ingredient. Don’t forget about the measuring cups!

Make Cooking Your Child’s Science Curriculum

Science has an influence on our everyday life as it is everywhere! Familiarizing children when they are young about science shapes their development in a very positive way. As they learn more about it, it will encourage them to ask questions, make projections, examine, experiment, and share their findings.

Did you know one of the best places kids can learn about science is in the kitchen cooking? This is because kids are hands on learners and cooking provides what seems like endless opportunities for science’s critical style learning. One of the most important things to develop this skill is to let them be very inquisitive!  

• Why are lemons sour?
• What grows a seed?
• Where does sugar come from?

Brainstorm with them out loud! Studies have shown that kids begin to develop an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics during the elementary years so giving them the chance to learn about these things early will be great for them down the road, and in this case, you’ll get dinner and maybe even dessert out of it as well!

Boss Baby In The Making

As a parent, we know you want to do everything you can to set your kids up for success. One of the most important skills you can teach your child early that will do that is strong project management. It can be developed in many different ways but our favorite, and what we’re going to be focusing on is cooking, as studies show that learning to cook as a kid has a major impact on life in multiple ways as an adult!

Start with giving your child small, age appropriate tasks as you want to keep the experience as fun as possible! Some ideas are:

• Letting them read the recipe
• Being in charge of adding ingredients
• Learning safety measures then using sharp tools
• Allowing them to choose how to set the table

Always remember gentleness and patience. Teach one new skill, and then the kids can practice that skill before dinner and be genuinely helpful to your meal prep. Being genuinely thankful and expressing your appreciation for their help will increase their confidence and their self-esteem so incredibly you will be amazed at the effect! – Kids Cook

They’re entrepreneurs in the making!

Keeping a neat workspace is always important when it comes to learning project management so make sure you have a smart organization tool like the sousShelf on hand. This kitchen companion keeps your most critical utensils within reach and also has a dedicated phone or tablet holder and a dual tip stylus for clean, hands-free scrolling on your device. Listen, switch, or skip to your favorite entrepreneurial audio book or podcast with ease.

Summary

Cooking in and of itself is an important life skill and engages kids’ creativity in so many different ways. The endless opportunities in the kitchen allow for fun, memorable ways for kids to learn math, science, and management skills. Fractions, unit conversions, estimating, measuring, planning, and problem solving. You can turn boring old dinner prep time into a fun and educational bonding time with your children.