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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.

LeapFrog Number Lovin' Oven giveaway from weelicious.comPin
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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.

LeapFrog Number Lovin' Oven giveaway from weelicious.comPin

Updated October 22, 2022 and Published November 13, 2015 by Catherine McCord

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About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

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Comments

  1. Salad spinning…wish I could get them to eat it but when they were around 2 they loved to sit on the floor and spin salad…now they are 5 and love to do dishes…I need to get them more interested i the cooking part..sometimes they add some ingredients to something or feed the dog..ok not cooking for us but at least helping in the kitchen..I would love to win this…the girls would love it!

  3. My baby’s first experience with food/cooking started very early. I love to have him in the kitchen when ever its safe so he can see what I’m doing. I talk to him about the ingredients I’m using and sometimes he’ll grab the spoon or spatula and help me stir. Its so cute and a lovely bonding experience for us both.

  4. Cracking an egg for our morning pancakes. It was so exciting to see how intrigued she was, the patience and attention to detail was amazing for a 2 year old.

  6. Bagel pizzas! My kids end up eating the shredded cheese by itself before the pizzas are ready

  8. I started cooking with my kids when they were 4yrs and we would make cutout cookies for Xmas and they love cooking. I wish schools would bring back home economics. I learned how to cook in middle school taking home economics class and loved the class.

  13. I love this toy and I think it would be so wonderful for my little granddaughter to learn and play with!

  14. My 3 year old son loves to stir anything!! pasta that is cooking, leftovers, veggies, etc. The more interactive he is with cooking the more interested in eating the finished product!!

  15. One of the first things I cooked with my kids was actually your spinach muffins. My 5-year-old son loved putting the spinach in the blender and making “slime”. . He calls them “Monster Muffins” 🙂

  16. This is wonderful! We did baby led weaning, so my DD just picked what she wanted off of my plate. She helps in the kitchen all the time now at 3. For a recent party she peeled and sliced all the eggs for deviled eggs all be herself!

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