20 Things Your Preschooler Can Learn in the Kitchen

One thing I always liked about homeschooling is that it makes it easy to take everyday activities and make them into learning experiences.

This is especially true for preschoolers. You can take something as commonplace as cooking and use it to teach important preschool skills and concepts such as cutting and counting.

If you’re looking for some ideas on how to use your kitchen as a classroom, check out my list below.

Things Your Preschooler Can Learn in the Kitchen

Hygiene. “It’s important to wash our hands before cooking.”
Safety. Discuss good safety practices while cooking with your child.
Size. “What size bowl do we need?”
Shape. What shape is the cake pan?
Color. “What color are the bananas?”
Numbers and Counting. “The recipe says we need 5 apples. Let’s count them.”
Part and Whole. “We need 1/2 block of cream cheese.” “The recipe calls for 1 whole block of tofu.”
Measuring. Your child can help you measure out ingredients.
Pouring. Your child can practice his pouring skills while helping you cook.
Mixing. Let your child stir the ingredients.
Cutting. Soft foods like bananas can be cut with a butter knife.
Sequence. Your child can learn sequencing and time order words like “first,” “next,” and “last” while helping you cook.
Time. “It needs to bake for 45 minutes.”
Temperature. “We need to set the oven to 425 degrees.”
Importance of Reading. When your child sees you reading a recipe, it demonstrates the value of literacy to him.
Following Directions. Give your child directions to follow while you cook together.
Names of Foods. Cooking is an opportunity for your child to learn the names of foods.
Names of Items in the Kitchen. You can increase your child’s vocabulary by teaching him the names of items you use for cooking, i.e. spatula, whisk, egg beater, etc.
What Things Are Made of. “We need to use a wooden spoon.” “The pan is made of metal.”
Cooking Terminology. Your child can learn words like “bake,” “fry,” and “knead” while helping you cook.