Cooking as a Family - Purdue Extension Nutrition Education Program (2024)

FAQs

Is cooking a bonding activity? ›

Cooking together is fun family time.

Kitchen time can be a special parenting time. Cooking together creates closer bonds and helps build lifelong memories.

“At 8-9 years old children can use the stove with supervision; if the parent does not feel comfortable with this they can work on other kitchen skills such as reading a recipe, measuring out ingredients and learning food safety,” Meredith McWilliams, a registered dietitian at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock ...

Cooking Together Is Fun for the Family

It can spark lifelong memories and moments of laughter between you, your spouse, and your children. Take advantage of that special time when you can talk and reconnect with your loved ones. It can be just as important as actually sitting down to share a meal at the end of the day.

Home-cooked meals offer a distinct advantage when it comes to nourishment. By preparing meals at home, individuals have full control over the quality and ingredients of their food. This allows them to prioritize nutrition and make healthier choices.

Involving everyone in meal preparation is not just about cooking but also about spending quality time together. Often kids are more likely to try new foods when they were involved in making it. Experiment with new recipes, making cooking a learning experience for the kids with simple, fun recipes for dinner.

Cooking together as a family does much more than put food on the table. It offers a “time to talk, listen and build family relationships,” says Angela Ginn in ScienceDaily. When we cook with family, it can be a very rewarding experience and helps to increase feelings of connection.

Any child who can read and be trusted to follow directions on their own is a perfect fit for Kids Cook Solo, especially if they have any interest in cooking themselves. NO prior experience necessary!

8- to 11-Year-Old Cooks

Kids at this age can follow simple, straightforward recipes, plan menus and meals, and begin to work with the stove or oven. Use this time to teach them about the dangers of equipment and utensils.

Kids under the age of 7 should not use a microwave without supervision. Consider your child's height, too. Reaching up to get hot food out of a microwave can lead to spilled hot food. It's also important to be clear on the kinds of materials that can safely go into a microwave.

Cooking with your kids helps teach them how to eat healthy and make informed choices about the food they eat. While many kids will still prefer to play games or watch TV, cooking as a family together – and then eating the meal prepared together – will lay the groundwork for kids to prioritize family later in life.

Is cooking a family tradition? ›

Cooking is an art form that has been handed down in families for centuries.

Quality Control: By cooking at home, you can ensure the quality and freshness of the ingredients. This helps in avoiding preservatives, additives, and excessive sodium often found in pre-packaged or processed foods.

It's been proven that cooking can actually strengthen relationships which is one of the reasons couples are encouraged to cook with one another. One of the reasons for this is because cooking together can actually help improve communication.

It provides an opportunity to create lasting memories, develop teamwork and communication skills, promote healthy eating habits, teach practical life skills, and encourage creativity and experimentation. So get cooking and get bonding today!

Cooking and cleaning can be on par with a heavy workout, exercising muscles you never knew you had Running a kitchen involves lots of standing, movement, bending and aerobic exercise.

Cooking as a leisure activity typically involves procuring special ingredients, kitchenware, food knowledge, and culinary skills. It is usually an involved and time-consuming process with “interesting,” “exciting,” “authentic,” or “exotic” food as the goal.