With some of the children at school, you may find yourself struggling to occupy your little ones.

You may find it helpful to know that even from a very early age, babies and toddlers can learn lots in the kitchen.

Talking to babies and toddlers while you’re in the kitchen and preparing food can help develop their vocabulary and introduce them to new words.

It can also be a great way to learn basics such as colours, shapes and sizes — fruits and vegetables come in just about every colour, shape and size a child could think of.

Once your child is ready to learn counting, this can also be introduced through food. You could simply count individual pieces of food (such as six potatoes), or you ask your child to fetch you a certain number of items from the fridge or pantry.

Once a child’s maths skills become more advanced, you can start introducing simple sums using food. Also, fractions can be very effectively demonstrated through cutting a piece of fruit into halves, quarters and eighths, or by using different sixed cup measures.

There are a number of great craft ideas that utilise food and get kids busy in the kitchen. For example, try making ‘grape necklaces’- different colours of grapes, skewered through the middle with cooking string threaded through to create a necklace made of grapes. It’s fun, tasty and healthy.

Alternatively, try ‘potato painting’ by carving different shapes into potatoes, dipping into paint and stamping onto butchers paper.

Finally, as well as teaching things such as new words, colours, shapes, counting and maths, spending time in the kitchen and around food is an excellent opportunity to begin ‘planting the seed’ of what healthy lifestyle is all about — eating a variety of healthy foods, combined with plenty of activity.

Even simple messages such as ‘our bodies love vegetables’ will stick in a child’s mind and encourage them to eat healthy foods.

Have fun in the kitchen!

Healthy Recipe
FRUITY CONES
Ingredients Mixture of fresh fruit in a variety of colours Square ice-cream cones Method Wash and chop fruit into 1cm cubes. Drain the fruit of excess liquid and pile into the cone. Top with yogurt or a dollop of ice cream if desired. Serve immediately to prevent the cones going soggy.
Variation Cover tinned or fresh fruit with jelly and allow to set. Chop with a fork and fill ice cream cones.