There are many different sensory strategies for creating a sensory friendly kitchen for your child. Reducing the auditory overload for your child, you can use sensory noise-canceling headphones, play calming music while you are cooking or baking and you can avoid using loud appliances.
Try providing a visually calm kitchen space with minimal clutter for your child while they are helping you bake or cook. Use gentle scents, avoid strong spices and offer alternative options that are not as strong. There's a variety of textures and flavors that your child can explore and experiment when in the kitchen baking and cooking.
Begin cooking or baking with easier recipes that have less steps and only a few ingredients. This will be a lot less overwhelming for your child. Use pictures or visual checklists to help your child through each step in the cooking instructions. Include short sensory breaks while baking to help your child move and regulate their senses.
Ask your child to choose the recipe, ingredients or the tools they would like to use. Give them some control in the kitchen. Focus on your child's strengths and their interests and turn them into kitchen activities for them. When in the kitchen, celebrate your child's success. Acknowledge their accomplishments no matter how small. This will build their confidence and encourage more kitchen participation in the future.
It is import to include sensory integration in the kitchen while cooking. Incorporate movement and encourage your child to do some sensory motor activities like rolling dough, stirring food or washing the dishes. Consider using calming decorations, soft lighting and comfortable sensory seating.
Cooking and baking is a fantastic opportunity for children to develop very important life skills. These life skills will help them when they are adults and cooking for their families. It feels so nice when I see my daughter in her kitchen cooking meals for her children that I taught her to cook when she was only young.
Following the instructions for recipes help children learn about sequencing, measuring and following directions. Cooking and baking can help children with their math skills because they are weighing ingredients, measuring liquids or dividing portions. This will help them with their basic math skills and knowing how to do it in the future.
When children are cooking, they learn about nutrition and cooking with fresh healthy ingredients. Make cooking and baking a positive and engaging experience for your child. It is so important to start simple, be patient and always make safety a priority.
To introduce your child to cooking and baking it is important to start simple with age appropriate cooking or baking activities. Try to make it a fun game. Before your child starts cooking, prioritize safety and supervise your child closely. Teach your child about kitchen safety rules and use age appropriate kitchen tools.
Parents can encourage their child to love cooking and baking by teaching them valuable life skills and creating life long lasting memories. Next time you're in the kitchen, try inviting your little chef to join in on the kitchen cooking sensory fun!
