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Amy Houts, a former preschool teacher from Maryland, Mo., agrees that cooking with children can promote healthy habits. The author of Learning Through Cooking Activities (Preschool Publications, 1993), Houts adds when cooking at home you can prepare foods with less fat, less sugar and fewer calories. Cooking together is full of teachable moments and wonderful opportunities to instill the importance of eating nutritious meals.

According to Houts, cooking with children teaches a vital practical life skill, one that they can use all their lives. This self-reliance builds self-esteem. When kids can say, "I made this," or "I helped make this," they know they have made an important contribution to the family.

Hands-on Learning
In addition, measuring, counting and weighing are hands-on activities to introduce math concepts. It's important for grandparents to dialog with children when cooking by saying, for example, "We need to measure a half cup of milk, the bread will take one hour, cut your sandwich into fourths so we can share."

By reading a recipe aloud, young children will begin to understand thatprinted words on a page have meaning. Houts adds when cooking with grandchildren, give the opportunity to smell the vanilla, feel the soft texture of bread dough and listen to the sound of the popcorn popping.