Learning in the Kitchen

I often recommend to the parents of the children I work with, to kill two birds with one stone by using their daily household tasks and routines to teach their children important skills. Easier said than done--but if you are the kind of parent that spends hours running your household, and hours individually working with your child--there are ways to combine the two. The trick is making it motivating. Cooking involves many skills that are applicable and can be generalized to both academic and other daily living skills (ADL), including sequencing, following 1-3 step directions without prompting, not to mention all of the sensory stimulation and work that comes through mixing, squeezing (dough), pouring, tasting, and so forth. To make it motivating, I have suggested these kid-friendly cooking tools by Head Chef, and parents have reported that they have worked wonders getting their kids engaged in the work of the kitchen.