Food is not only a way to connect with your family and friends, it is also the essence of who you are! It is about reconnecting to you culture, your traditions and sharing them with your family, and the best way to start is through your own kitchen.

Here are 3 reasons why home cooking with your family has great advantages:

Family Connections

Research has shown that when a family eats together, they have better emotional health, tend to be more loving, and children perform better and are more cooperative.

When you prepare food for your family, you are not only sharing your love with them, you are opening the channel for communication. Cooking is about sharing and having connections in the kitchen.

I would really like to invite you to be open to this idea. Rather than allowing your children to watch television or play with electronic gadgets while you prepare your meals, consider getting them into the kitchen to prepare dinner together.

I know when you are busy and tired after a long day at work, the last thing you need is to “entertain” your kids in the kitchen and having to clean up after the mess, right?

With our limited time right now, it is very hard to find the time to connect with our children. When you invite them to the kitchen, you are actually intentionally and consciously making time for your children by involving them, having fun and sharing the experience together.

When your children are having fun in the kitchen, they will enjoy being there with you, being in your company, and this is when connections and bonding starts. Once they feel relaxed and trust you, that’s when the channel of communication starts opening up.

Empower the love of learning in your children

One of the major concerns of a parent is whether your children is doing well at school – are they able to follow the syllabus, able to excel at school etc. What do you need to do to help them?

When you involve your children in the kitchen, you will be amazed at what your children can learn. For example:

  • Motor skills – when they help you to chop vegetables and wash the dishes, as well as maneuvering with pots and pans…
  • Language skills – when they help with the recipe… reading  from the recipe books as well as the names of the ingredients
  • Maths skills – when setting the kitchen timer, checking the temperature from the oven etc.
  • Creativity – when they create their own signature dish
  • General knowledge – when they learn about dishes from different countries and cultures
  • Connect with their senses – when they learn about the smell and taste of different spices and ingredients

You can find more information on what children can learn from cooking: https://nyonyalicious.com.au/what-can-children-learn-from-cooking

Healthy and wise

When you prepare your own food in the kitchen, you have full control of the quality of the ingredients you use to prepare a balanced meal. You control what you want and how you would like it prepared and taste; you know the food that suits your palate and health condition of yourself and your family’s needs.

It also helps you to plan on when and where to get the ingredients, whether it is from the market or from your local store, including the cost and the freshness of the ingredients.

As the saying goes, when you cook for someone you love, you share your love through the dishes you serve. Create opportunities to connect and have fun with your children in the kitchen and make one meal time a FAMILY time!

Have FUN with your FAMILY – it all starts in the heart of your home – your kitchen!