Written by Meg Raby Klinghoffer
Umm, get your kiddos to the kitchen asap! Do you know how many benefits there are to having them bake cookies with you or even a simple lemonade recipe? When there are young chefs in the kitchen there is more than a mess that is bound to happen, there’s a whole sensory experience that lends itself to increased language development, cognitive and executive functioning skills, creativity and even social-emotional skills.
Let’s take making a smoothie together. Depending on the age and learning level of your child, you’ll either tell them to grab specific ingredients and follow single-step instructions, you’ll show them a written recipe with visual pictures to help guide the process, or you’ll simply narrate and model the steps. Did you catch all of the senses ignited in this beginning step? Auditory input from the noises of your verbal instructions, visual input from the pictures or ingredients placed on the counter or the tracking of you as you move about gathering all that is needed and tactile input when your child helps grab and organize the various fruits, liquids and spices needed for the smoothie. The kitchen is full of sensory experiences.
Zoom in even closer at this activity, and you’ll notice you’re addressing a variety of language and cognitive skills while you and your child’s senses are activated. Following directions, back-and-forth conversations, decision making, vocabulary building–these are a few of the ways in which the kitchen fosters language and cognitive development.
I know, I know, it feels like there must be a specific age or specific requirement a child must reach or meet before cooking in the kitchen together, right? Actually, not at all. If you have a baby you can wear them while you simply talk about what you’re doing, or narrate. They can safely touch the ingredients or even hang onto a spoon meeting their tactile input needs and creating brain synapses that will help them along in their development. This applies to any child who might not use verbal speech much or just yet. Have a child that uses a wheelchair and maybe cannot move around and access the needed ingredients so easily? That's okay! Maybe ask if they know where to find certain ingredients and bring them over to your child to get as much hands-on “play” or cooking as they can get. How about a kid that doesn’t sit still and has a hard time following verbal instructions? Turn cooking into a fun game and give instructions in short, simple sentences: “Race like a racecar and get an apple!” Now you’ve entered into proprioception and vestibular senses as well!
The smell of the fruit juices, the scent of the added vanilla extract, the touch of the cold spoon or knife (please be safe!), the sound of the blender whirring paired with your voice as you narrate all that is happening or have little conversations with your little chef–yes, you’re tapping into so many senses, and on top of it all, you’re developing a deep bond with your child. That’s positive social-emotional development at its finest. That’s the gift of a sensory experience together in the kitchen.
