7 Benefits of Baking – for Kids

Baking with kids is a bit like marmite  – you either love it or hate it! We love baking! ….maybe a bit too much…..that would explain my huge weight gain! All 4 Freckled Faces have always liked being in the kitchen with me – asking question, helping, offloading all their thoughts, etc. Don’t get me wrong – sometimes I’ve been in a rush or not in the right frame of mind and not wanted the big clean up afterwards – but when they’re helping me, it benefits me as much as them.

Here are some benefits to baking –

Math Skills

Most of the time kids don’t even realise that they are doing maths as they’re baking! When they follow a recipe they’ll have to measure ingredients out, they’ll come across fractions and they’ll have to use addition or multiplication if they need to double a recipe and subtraction or division if they need to half it. Being a math whizz is great, but being able to apply it to life is what matters most – in my opinion.

Comprehension

Reading, understanding and following step-by-step instructions are all important parts of producing a finished food bake, such as adding ingredients in order and how to mix it together – stirring, folding and whisk. Helping your child with their reading comprehension skills at the same time as producing something yummy – win win!

Real Life Science

Baking provides an opportunity for kids to get hands-on experience with basic science….a real life science experiment. Too much baking powder, not enough flour, the wrong kind of flour, wrong timings and it’s likely to all go wrong! Some of the bakes the kids have done have gone very wrong! They enjoyed trying to figure out what went wrong and how they can change it.

Self-Esteem

Baking allows kids to get instant feedback, which helps them to grow in self-esteem. Baking or cooking is known to help children with healthy self-esteem development.

Communication

A fun and relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen can open opportunities to talk about anything! We parents can use these opportunities – communication is so very important when it comes to raising a well-rounded, emotionally healthy child.

Life Skills

Cooking/Baking is a life skill. It’s essential for looking after yourself properly. As children get older and closer to adulthood, the feeding responsibility becomes theirs. The earlier they learn how to cook and bake the easier it will make the transition from childhood to adulthood and perhaps help it to be a little less daunting too.

Fun

Baking/Cooking is fun! Having fun with your kids! Put some music on and sing and dance, tell jokes, whatever you want. It makes for great memories!

So, in conclusion – get baking with your kids!