In November we think a lot about cooking. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we tend to dream of turkey, mashed potatoes, savory vegetables, and pumpkin pie. These are all delicious and deserve the attention they get! As a Children’s Librarian myself, I am always thinking of ways to incorporate early literacy skills into everyday activities and cooking is no exception. Try to include your children in the kitchen as much as possible both during Thanksgiving-prep but also throughout the year!
Cooking provides many opportunities for teachable moments with children. For example, you can:
- Help them name and familiarize themselves with the sight, smell, taste, and feel of each ingredient (“Do you know what this is called? This is garlic, it tastes very strong so we chop it up really tiny so the flavor doesn’t take over the rest of the dish. Want to smell it?”)
- Practice colors with each item (“This is called a red onion, but it looks more purple to me. What do you think?”)
- Point out when two ingredients start with the same letter (“Chicken and celery both start with the letter C, can you name another food that starts with the letter C….Carrots, good job!”)
- Explain the reason why you cook food in different ways (“Grilled cheese needs heat to melt the cheese, but you don’t want it too hot or the bread will burn. That is why we cook it at a low temperature for a longer time. What do you think would happen if we did a high temperature for a short time?”)
- Emphasize the order of events before you start cooking, as you’re cooking, and again after to reiterate that the steps have to happen in order for the dish to be successful (“First, we set out all the ingredients. What do you think happens next: mixing it all together or chopping the vegetables?”)
- Incorporate age-appropriate math as much as possible (“We need three tablespoons of milk, can you help me count to three?” or “We need 1/4 cup water, if we used 4 of these how much would that be?”)
Cooking also helps with fine motor skills. Of course be careful with activities such as cutting and chopping, – those should be reserved for adults and responsible teens. However little ones can do things like sort, mix, pour, stir, sprinkle, and more with adult supervision. These help them practice using the muscles important for writing and holding a pencil.
Lastly, and most importantly, cooking is a great way to spend quality time together. Make memories together as you create a dish you can enjoy as a family. Learning is most effective when the child is having fun in a safe environment so get silly and enjoy the moment, even if the food doesn’t come out perfect. You don’t have to be a professional chef to expose your child to food and basic cooking.
Still don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, I have picked out some great books to read together that feature a meal you can easily make. Read together and discuss the food, then try making it so the child can connect the taste with the story. This is also a fun way to explore new recipes you may have never considered before.
Cora Cooks Pancit written by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore and illustrated by Kristi Valiant
This book is a sweet tale of Cora who is too young to help out her family in the kitchen. Then one day, her and her mom have the house to themselves and together they cook a traditional Filipino meal called pancit. The book is heartwarming, the pictures are beautiful, and the recipe is included in the back of the book.
Dragons Love Tacos written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
A fan-favorite, your family may already be familiar with this title. This book is a funny tale about tacos, dragons, and salsa with illustrations your child will surely love. Grab some tortillas, your choice of meat (or tofu!), a packet of taco seasoning, and your favorite toppings to get cooking. This is a great book to read on taco night! Pro-tip: if you chop up some bell pepper and red onion really tiny and sauté in olive oil, then mix it in with the meat, you can sneak in some extra nutrients for picky eaters.
Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin
This brightly colored book has wonderful illustrations of food your child may be unfamiliar with (like bok choy or taro) and a sweet story of a family enjoying a meal out together. Reading books like this to your child exposes them to other cultures and widens their world view. Dim sum is actually a category of food, typically consisting of small plates of different dishes. I encourage you to look up some beginner recipes for dim sum dishes and go to a local Asian market to pick up your ingredients and support local business.
If you have a pizza lover in your household, this book is a perfect choice for you. The characters walk you through step by step how to make homemade pizza from the dough, to the sauce, to the toppings, all the way to the last bite. Even better, this is another book with a recipe in the back. If you have never made homemade pizza before, don’t be intimidated, it is actually really fun and you can make it as complicated or as simple as you want. There is no shame in buying pre-made crust or a jar of sauce if you want a few shortcuts in the process.
How to Feed Your Parents written by Ryan Miller illustrated by Hatem Aly
Ever felt the frustration of cooking for a picky eater? This book turns that parental frustration on its head when little Matilda Macaroni tries to convince her picky parents to eat something other than chicken nuggets or sugary cereal. This sweet story shows how much joy can be found in stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying food you used to refuse. This book explores many different foods such as jambalaya and fajitas, but the quiche is what is at the crux of the story. Make your own quiche with the recipe in the back of the book.
No matter what you decide to cook, I hope you find joy in the connection and intentionality of putting a meal together. Bon appétit!
