James bounces into our early childhood center on a gloomy March morning and asks, “Can we make muffins today?” 

“Yes! Muffins!” the other children shout, jumping up and down in what just moments before had been a calm, quiet and sleepy classroom.

We cook a lot, and over the years I have learned to stretch this activity into a “curriculum” that gives each child plenty of hands-on time with the ingredients.

There is something magical about cooking that levels the playing field and makes the activity developmentally appropriate for children of every age and skill level.

Before calling the preschoolers into our kitchen area, I prefer to prep the workspace. But on days like this—when the cooking is a spontaneous, child-led idea—I send the children to the bathroom to wash their hands and quickly get to work.

In an ideal world, I would gather all of the ingredients and take care of any prep work that might be too difficult for little hands in advance. For example, I might chop an ingredient or pour a teaspoon of vanilla into a measuring cup and then set those items out in the order that we will need them for the recipe.

“Can I crack an egg?” begs Saaliha. 

“Me, too!” shouts Marcus. The children are bouncing with energy and joy.

“I don’t like to crack eggs,” says Hudson. “Can I stir the flour and sugar?”

When I have more ingredients than children (or more children than ingredients), I get creative. If I’m working with a younger group, I’ll crack the eggs for the children and put them into measuring cups. You may need to let each child add one egg or one child add three eggs, depending on how many cooks there are and how much time you have in the kitchen.

I try to stretch out this part of the cooking sequence because every child needs a turn, and each turn is a learning opportunity. Cooking is one of those rare times when everyone is working as a team, the children are happy and helpful and the conversations are rich and engaging.

Years ago, we had a visual learner who described pouring the dirt (brown sugar) on top of the snow (flour) and then stirring in the sunshine (eggs). For years, children have repeated that same story over and over to the new children in the classroom. I have no idea how many years this has gone on or how much joy that silly little narrative has brought to the children who have walked through our door!

Count the ingredients. Count the eggs. Count the number of times each child gets to stir the mixture.

Meanwhile, expand the vocabulary of your young chefs. Ask the children to describe what they see, taste and smell. Talk about the colors and the textures.

Then ask the children to predict what will happen to the muffins or cookies when they are placed in the oven. Will they rise? Will they get bigger? Why?

Cooking gives preschoolers a strong foundation in math, science,  language, art and reading. When we invite children to create in the kitchen, we provide learning opportunities in many academic subjects.

Think of your ingredients as subsets that will introduce opportunities for counting, observing, predicting, adding, measuring, dividing and estimating.

As children see how certain ingredients combine, react and change during the cooking process, they are learning basic chemistry.

Baking also brings children together at the table to share food, conversation, observations, ideas and camaraderie. What more could you ask for in an early childhood setting?

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Waiting for muffins to bake can seem like an eternity when you are three. Don’t torture yourself or your students! Pick a recipe with minimal ingredients and shorter baking times. Instead of a 30-minute banana bread recipe, make a smoothie, muffins or cookies.

We use our baking time to take bathroom breaks, sweep the floor, wash the dishes, wash our hands and set the table so that we can feast on our masterpiece as soon as it comes out of the oven and cools. If there’s still time left on the timer, then we wash our hands again! 

Remember to keep it light and keep it fun. Sit down and enjoy the conversations and the joy of being with your young learners. Breathe in the tantalizing smell of muffins rising in the oven and give yourself the time and space to engage in these extended activities. Feast on some comfort food and engage in some delicious early science and math learning!

If you’ve got pancake fans in your classroom (and who doesn’t), we’ve got a great lesson plan for you here. Don’t forget to click on the Connect With Families button in the upper left corner of the lesson page to download a letter that gives families all of the information they need to continue the learning at home.

Welcome Math Friends! 

As I write this blog post, the entire state of Illinois is under “shelter in place” orders to minimize the spread of Covid-19. Thank you to our state leaders for doing what is necessary to keep us safe. Thank you to everyone who is out there performing essential duties—from the healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic to the store clerks, restaurant employees and municipal workers who are keeping our stores stocked and our families fed and providing essential services in our communities. Thank you to the child care professionals who are caring for the children of these essential workers. Thank you all so very much for taking care of our families and our community!  

Now, take a deep breath and come join me over here in “Math Land.” In this time of uncertainty, let’s all step back, slow down and focus on building a strong foundation of math through hands-on learning.

With many children sheltering in place at home and fewer children attending our early childhood programs, this is an ideal time for deep learning. This is your chance to keep it simple—without the worksheets and the screens and the busy daily routines.

If you are a parent, I urge you to read this blog and then explore this website for a wealth of enriching early math activities. Then turn off the screens! Break out a deck of cards, a pair of dice, a board game or a puzzle. You can’t mess this up. Just relax and play with your child or children!

If you are an early childcare educator, take advantage of this rare opportunity to pause, relax and reboot. With many child care centers shut down, the world is beginning to recognize how valuable our work is—and how difficult and demanding it can be. Meanwhile, we have the gift of time to return to what we know works best—hands-on play—and to reimagine our math curriculum. Now is a great time to take a hike, clear your head and let your creative juices flow. 

After soothing your soul in the great outdoors, join us as we return to our early education roots. If we must shelter in place, we may as well head into the kitchen and whip up some comfort food while fostering the development of early math skills!

Cooking gives preschoolers a strong foundation in science, math, language, art and even reading. When we invite children to create in the kitchen, we provide learning opportunities in many academic subjects.  Think of your ingredients as subsets that will introduce opportunities for counting, adding, measuring, dividing and estimating. As children see how certain ingredients combine, react and change as they cook, they are learning basic chemistry. Baking also brings your children together at the table to share food, conversation, observations, ideas and camaraderie.

Before calling your preschoolers into your workspace, prep the area! Gather all of your ingredients and take care of the prep work that may be too difficult for the children in your care. For instance, you may need to chop or measure beforehand and then set those items out in the order that you will need them for the recipe.

When I have more ingredients than children (or more children than ingredients), I get creative. When I’m working with a younger group, I crack the eggs for the children and put them in the measuring cup. You may need to let each child add one egg or one child add three eggs, depending on how many cooks you have in the kitchen. Because you know that everyone needs a turn to do something!

Count the ingredients. Count the eggs. Count the number of stirs that each child gets. Meanwhile, expand the vocabulary of your young chefs! Ask the children to describe what they see, taste and feel. Talk about the colors and textures. Years ago, we had a visual learner who described pouring the dirt (brown sugar) on top of the snow (flour) and then stirring in the sunshine (eggs). For years, we asked the children to repeat that same story over and over to new children in the classroom. I have no idea how much joy that silly little narrative brought to our four-year-olds!

Waiting for muffins to bake can seem like an eternity when you are three. Don’t torture yourself or your students! Pick a recipe with minimal ingredients and shorter baking times. Instead of a 30-minute banana-bread recipe, make a smoothie, muffins or cookies. We use our baking time to take bathroom breaks, sweep the floor, wash the dishes, wash our hands and set the table so that we can feast on our masterpiece. If there’s still time left on the timer, then we wash our hands again! 

Remember to keep it light and keep it fun. Now that life is a bit slower, sit down and enjoy the conversations and the joy of being with your child or your young learners. You’ve got this, friends. While we wait out the coronavirus, breathe and bake and give thanks for the time and space to engage in these extended activities, feast on some comfort food and engage in some delicious early math learning!

Many years later I had a family of my own with two young boys, two cats, and a dog. From the time the boys were able to carry things steadily, they were encouraged to help with the feeding. They would count out the number of scoops of dry food or treats for the dog. The cats would get an occasional treat of a ¼ of the cat food can. Some days it was more like a ⅓ but they were learning. Now they are adults with pets of their own. Jason has a beautiful Rottweiler, Bailey, and Derek a feisty Border Collie mix named Thor.

In his youth Derek had explored the idea of being a chef and briefly owned a catering business along with publishing a cookbook. Before moving to a different career path he decided to publish a children’s book that would focus on the peanut butter puppy treats that he made for Thor. Together we collaborated on a book that I could use when teaching my early childhood curriculum class. The book touched on concepts from both science and math. We took inspiration from the book, Thunder Cake by P. Polacco regarding creating a story that would also incorporate a cooking activity.

In Polacco’s book a young girl collects the ingredients to make a cake all while overcoming her fear of the impending thunderstorm. As she put together the ingredients for the cake she counted the number of eggs and tomatoes needed. Yes, I said tomatoes and the recipe is quite good and worth the effort.

In Derek’s book his dog Thor wants to eat people food which is not good for him. So he selects the peanut butter treats recipe from the cookbook and helps Derek to make the treats. There are a variety of different simple measuring and counting activities throughout the book and in the end Thor enjoys his treat. We decided to add a couple of pages in the back of the book to discuss the importance of owning a dog and some fun expansion activities. The treats are quick and easy to make. Every time we make them all the dogs come running.

Cooking is a great way to connect with others, learn life skills along with exploring science and math. Home cooks regularly double and half recipes depending on the number of people they are going to feed. Sometime cooks  need to calculate a different cooking time depending on the humidity and elevation. Having extra little hands helping out may slow down the process, but children will be gaining an understanding of measurement in a more meaningful way than simple paper and pencil tasks that they may experience in school.

Bringing children into the kitchen is a magical way to combine process art with self-expression and introduce mathematical thinking.  When cooking activities are well organized, children will enjoy directing their own learning.  Allow plenty of time for wonder and excitement.  Helping children learn the process of cooking through meaningful conversation helps them learn more about their experiences.  Because cooking requires periods of one child doing a task while others watch, keeping the conversation going helps to alleviate the frustration when waiting and taking turns.  With a little preparation and thoughtfulness, children will be involved in the full experience of culinary art.  By working together, children can make delicious meals that not only nourish others but also create excitement about their role in the process. 

Cooking is a great opportunity to use a variety of mathematical vocabulary.  Words like more, less, add, subtract, and the concept of time are all prevalent in the kitchen.  Creating recipes requires print recognition, counting, measuring, estimating, learning patience, and developing language skills.  Doubling recipes involves multiplication, measuring requires fractions, and eating cookies is subtraction at work.  Younger children can pour ingredients in the bowl, help stir, rinse dishes, or scrub vegetables.  Older children can calculate, measure, crack eggs, or monitor the timer.  What can be more fun for everyone than counting out the chocolate chips?  Games can be created by having children estimate to see who comes up with the correct answer.  Building mathematical skills through cooking not only gives children confidence in their developing math skills but it also encourages them to work with others in a creative process.

One young chef in my program has been cooking at home since he was able to stand on a stool at his mom’s kitchen counter.  It was difficult for him to hide his enthusiasm as he shared his mashing and mixing skills with his friends.  He was able to recall memories of his family cooking experiences just through our activity at school.  Other children are just being introduced to the variety of ways math is used in the kitchen.  The excitement builds as children’s interest increases, new concepts are learned, and experiences are shared.  Cooking together can be a meaningful way to strengthen relationships, learn mathematical vocabulary, and understand the value of math in creative activities. Children learn how math is necessary in the kitchen while experiencing the exciting outcome of edible art.

As we scaffold children’s experiences from their prior knowledge, we learn what they can do and then find appropriate kitchen tasks to challenge them.  As educators, we never know how a child’s learning experience will inspire and impact their lives in later years.  Perhaps we are making cookies today with the future executive chefs of tomorrow.

Instead, young children are ready to learn one-to-one correspondence, sorting, sequencing, number, counting, and shapes. Much simpler, right? However, these skills can still seem challenging for parents to support in their child’s development. Are workbooks, worksheets, computer programs or apps the best to practice these skills? How can we know that our children are “ready for school” when it comes to math?

Math skills can be practiced each and every day at home or at school. First, include your child in everyday tasks, even those you would not think they can do well.  Tasks such as laundry, cleaning, cooking, maintenance, shopping and caring for pets can be turned into math practice! Here are some suggestions for including your child in every day math practice.

• Laundry: Sorting laundry by type, family member and size. Match and count the pairs of socks. Fold clothing in half and half again. Measure detergent with child sized cups.
• Cleaning: Using child sized spray bottles, clean the table by counting squirts before wiping it down. Sweep the floor in a circle or square shape. Use sponges cut into different shapes to clean different items.  Categorize dishes and wash by category, such as round plates, square plates, round bowls and mugs, etc.  Create a pattern by washing first a plate, then a cup then a bowl and repeating until dishes are clean.
• Cooking: Whenever possible, include children in the cooking and food preparation. Use plastic measuring cups to measure ingredients and a wooden spoon to stir. Use a butter knife to cut vegetables into small or large chunks. Estimate how long it will take to cook or bake and then discuss the reality versus guess.
• Grocery Shopping: Create a list children can check off to practice one-to-one correspondence. Sort the cart by type of items, such as those in boxes or not, cold or room temperature, etc. Count items in the cart. Pack unbreakable groceries in paper bags trying to fit them in safely without crushing them. Weigh bulk foods, adding and subtracting amounts to get to one pound.
• Routines: For the morning routine, use a picture chart to put the steps to getting ready in order for children to follow. For bedtime routine, use a timer or a picture clock to show the amount of time rather than the actual time. Read books including numbers, counting, sorting and classifying. Use a picture schedule showing a picture of each main activity during a stay at home day so children can follow the schedule and manipulate when things change.

Remembering that math skills for little ones is more than just algebra will make a big difference in how you perceive math as a parent. Have fun with mathematics and go beyond just helping children memorize numbers in order. Look to everyday tasks you may find tedious for opportunities to include learning moments.  It is easier than you may think and way more fun!

Cooking with kids offers a wonderful array of learning opportunities for young children. It provides practice in language arts (vocabulary and “reading” a recipe), science (chemistry and exploring the senses), and developing social skills (cooperation and turn-taking). The kitchen also provides a range of math practice such as counting, measuring, and understanding order.

In my son’s pre-k class, the teachers and children cooked together almost weekly; the recipes coincided with their Letter Of The Week. So for B week they made banana bread and for O week they made omelets. The recipes were simple enough for the teachers and children (ages 4 to 5-years-old) to manage, each having a minimum number of ingredients. My son LOVED the rice pudding so much that I asked his teacher for the recipe. When I saw how simple it was, I suggested we collect ALL of her recipes and create a cookbook to share with other parents, whom I imagined were equally excited to cook with their kids at home. After all, these were recipes already vetted by our experienced and talented teacher.

As a teacher in the classroom, we sought out parent/caregiver volunteers to assist with cooking projects. Having the child’s special grown-up allowed those participants to engage in the school life of their child, providing them with an opportunity to better know the other children and teachers and also observe their own child in the context of the classroom. It also allowed us to maintain good adult/child ratios while working with small groups of children (typically 4 – 5), in the kitchen. The children who cooked or prepared snack (sometimes it was simply designing bagel faces with cut fruit, vegetables and sprouts) usually delighted in their food and seemed proud to share their creations with their classmates. The learning continued through the service portion of the meal, since the child chefs, with the help of the grown-ups, needed to figure out how to divide what they made into equal portions for their friends. Something like bagel faces required counting and one-to-one correspondence; baking a quiche required cutting it into enough equal-sized pieces to serve everyone.

For recipes that were made frequently, we made recipe booklets that were much more readable for children. Play dough was something we made with children on a weekly basis and for that we created cards, bound by binder rings that had visual instructions and described quantities with pictures.

Cooking presents children with plenty of opportunities to learn and is also a great way to teach principles of good nutrition and encourage an adventurous palate: in my experience kids are much more likely to try foods they’ve grown or prepared themselves.

I recently spent some time observing 2 groups of young children as they used recipes to cook banana bread and make silly putty.  Although both activities were well-planned, organized, and executed, the silly putty activity included so much more math because the teacher used a recipe card that was designed for children.

So what makes a good recipe for young children?

1.  Images of the ingredients- these should look exactly like the ingredients that you will be using so the children can recognize them immediately.  It isn’t helpful to have a picture of a box of salt and then to use a bowl of salt when you are actually cooking.

2.  Large, easy-to-read numbers and quantities –  Whole numbers are best.

3.  Visual representations of quantity – If you are using a measuring cup or spoon, be sure to have those measuring tools represented on the recipe card.

4.  Instructions should be written in single words and pictures.  You don’t have to write, “Stir all the ingredients together.”  Simply write “Stir” with a picture depicting “stirring.”   The message will be clear and the children will understand what is expected.

This is a picture of the Silly Putty Recipe Card that was just perfect for the children.  This teacher created her own recipe card and took pictures of each item needed in the recipe.  The children followed along closely as they each made their own batch of silly putty.  Brilliant.