Supporting Language Skills Through Cooking Activities

Updated: Jun 28, 2023

Cooking can be so fun for the entire family! Cooking is an essential life skill that children need to learn. You are also teaching your child new vocabulary that they have not been exposed to before. We can make it fun by adapting our recipes to fit the stage that your child is in. My 16-month-old has been using the kitchen helper stool when she joins me in the kitchen. She absolutely loves it!

Here are some ideas on how to encourage language during a cooking activity:

• Labeling: label ingredients and materials used

• Following directions: Use pictures as visuals. Sequence actions on what you first, next, then, last.

• Labeling verbs: bake, stir, spray, cut, cook, pour, mix (Perform the action as you use the word)

• Descriptive terms: talk about how ingredients look, feel, taste, smell

• “WH” questions: ask simple what, when, where, and why questions while cooking/baking

• Turn-taking: take turns adding ingredients/following the next action in your recipe

Don’t forget to add in a dance while you wait for your food to finish cooking! So fun and you’ll be creating the most memorable memories plus teaching your little one awesome dance moves!