October, 2006

Speech & Language Tip of the Month

Cooking up Speech and Language Success

Cooking with your child can be a really fun experience, and an opportunity to build language skills.  Some of the skills that can be targeted while cooking include: vocabulary building, sorting, following directions, sequencing and problem solving.  Your child will also have a pride in his/her accomplishment, which will boost self-esteem.

Depending on your child’s level, you can start with recipes that provide pictures or simple written instructions for your child to follow.  You might also want to pick recipes that don’t require any “cooking” (with an oven or stove) when you are beginning.  Once your child can follow directions well and you feel he/she is ready for more challenging activities present them in a very controlled manner.  Remember to always supervise your child while cooking; there are far too many opportunities for accidents in the kitchen.

If your child really enjoys cooking, make it part of your family routine.  Here are some suggestions:  have your child be responsible for making desert once a week, have your child assist in preparing family meals, have your child prepare his/her own lunch, have your prepare snacks when friends come to play.

Here are some resources that I have found to be helpful:

Books

Busy Kids™ Snacktime by Jan Brennan, Lisa Leonardi and Dayle Timmons (1998)

Kinder Krunchies Healthy Snack Recipes for Children by Karen S. Jenkins (1997)

Websites

Animal Crackers [ Kids ] - Recipes for young children, sorted by food group.

Aunt Libbey's Kitchen for Kids [ Kids ] - Snack and craft recipes for kids to try.

What's Cooking at Botham's? [ Kids ] - Fun recipes for kids to make alone or with a grown-up.

Yummy Stuff to Cook [ Kids ] - Recipes that require little or no cooking.

 Recipes for Kids from Tots to Teens [ Kids/Teens ] - A collection of craft, fun food, holiday, and bath recipes. From About.com.

Just Kids Recipes [ Kids ] - More than 200 recipes sorted by type.

Kid Kitchen [ Kids ] - Lots of kid-friendly recipes.

KidChef [ Kids/Teens ] - Includes recipes, menus, cooking tips, and food facts.

Kids in the Kitchen [ Kids/Teens ] - Categorized recipes for kids to follow with their parents. Includes a forum, index, and an option to submit a recipe.

Kid's Recipe Goldmine [ Kids/Teens ] - A large collection of fun, simple recipes.

KidsHealth Recipes [ Kids/Teens ] - Simple and easy to prepare recipes and cooking tips.

Sincerely,

Meredith B. Sorokwasz M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist

Back