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When you look at all the research showing that kids who get into the kitchen and eat with families have a lower risk of obesity and higher grades in school it’s enough reason to make sure your kids love cooking from day one. When you watch kids get excited about fresh foods, their taste, smell and how you turn them into a recipe they get to enjoy it’s incredibly gratifying.
Here are 3 benefits to bringing your kids in the kitchen_
1. Social time with the family_ as kids get older there’s homework, after school activities and plenty of distractions. When you plan for meals as a family and getting your kids to participate in cooking with you it can be a great time to catch up on your days and hear about moments you might have missed.
2. Educational_ cooking is much more than food. It’s about math, chemistry, working as a team and understanding how foods change depending on how they’re cooked.
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3. Fun_ when you start to look at cooking as an art project that you get to enjoy immediately and share with others it’s a whole lot more fun. By allowing kids to be active participants in the kitchen you’re giving them ownership over the food they put in their bodies, empowering them and hopefully in turn creating a lot of laughs.
I feel like it’s never too early to get kids in the kitchen and that means even when they’re toddlers. If you’re concerned about them getting hurt in any way, then starting with a toy like the LeapFrog Number Lovin’ Oven is a great start. Little chefs can enjoy hours of pretend-play fun with learning secretly baked in. Designed for ages 2 years and up, the Number Lovin’ Oven talks, sings and gets number skills cooking through 30+ songs and phrases. It helps little ones connect the numbers 1 to 5 on the slider with low, medium and high temperature settings, as well as shorter and longer cooking times.
I got to see just how much my friend Grey (in the video above) became even more interested in cooking through our fun playing with the Number Lovin’ Oven.
I shared in fb
I would love this fur my kids
My son would love this.
My kids was first introduced to foods and cooking is when they get to make their own pizza bagel and pick their tiny veggie and cheese toppings 🙂 It works and they asked for it every week because they get to pick and make their own, so we make it a ritual every friday night for pizza bagel and family movie night.
First cooking experience was making pancakes with grandma at 18 months. This kiddo is turning 2 in 2 months so this would be a perfect gift.
What fun!!
When my son was a toddler I would stand him on a chair next to me at the kitchen counter while I made diner. I’d usually keep him busy cutting soft fruit with a toddler butter knife
I shared on google+ https://plus.google.com/115879487129788108033/posts/9GsBA8qUyXM
I shared on twitter and will be at the party. https://twitter.com/TheHippieHut/status/665935207976075269
My son would love this! 🙂
My two & three yr old love helping in the kitchen, especially making pancakes. They would both love this!
So cute! My daughter is my cooking assistant and she would love her own oven to practice with!
My twins love making green smoothies in the morning with me and homemade pizza every few weeks!
Love that there are songs to sing! A great way to enjoy time together and build early literacy.
My twins and I first made strawberries pancakes together! Since then they love being in the kitchen with me!
Pancakes was one of the first things my children helped me with in the kitchen. From there it was baked goods, homemade pizzas, etc.