Young children can practice the intricate coordination that is necessary to pour, measure, mix and stir ingredients in a classroom cooking center. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 are quickly developing their hand-eye coordination. This leads to a new sense of confidence in activities that require dexterity. The actions that cooking requires will help improve these burgeoning skills. When children get bored with writing, drawing and other activities geared toward fine motor development, the cooking center will provide a fun alternative.
Providing young children with measuring cups, spoons and other implements with numbers is a simple way to help them develop number recognition skills and explore the world of math. The classroom cooking center offers preschoolers the opportunity to measure ingredients, try simple addition and make numerical comparisons. For example, 3-year-olds can measure out simple amounts, such as 1 cup, and 5-year-olds can grasp simple fractions, such as half a cup. Kids can use a kitchen scale to compare weights.
Books aren't the only place where preschoolers can develop their beginning literacy skills. Cooking center activities can help kids gain experience reading simple words and expand their vocabularies. Teachers can provide students with simple recipes containing two- to three-word sentences such as "Mix with spoon" and "Stir milk" to help improve reading skills. Conversation and discussion in the cooking center will encourage verbal development and language skills.
Cooking doesn't need to be a solitary pursuit. Group cooking projects can help preschoolers develop vital social skills such as listening to others, sharing and exchanging ideas. Students can work together in groups of two or more. They can help each other measure ingredients, decide who gets to do specific tasks such as mixing or rolling dough, take turns trying out various cooking tools and even work together to decide on a menu.