Welcoming kids into the world of reading is as simple as sharing a favorite family recipe in your kitchen. Yes, women have passed along wisdom and recipes together for centuries. 

Take my conversation with Anna about combining cooking and reading with little ones. She pointed out how welcoming your children into your kitchen prepares them to welcome others into their hearts. AND prepares your pre-schoolers to read! 

Nothing beats great recipes to get kids in the kitchen and reading. My childhood copy of Cooking Through Rose-Colored Glasses is falling apart!

Welcome to My Kitchen

“Can I read you something, just surprise you with something?” Anna asked me on air. That always makes me a little nervous. 

“Yeah, of course!”

“It’s about hospitality. ‘Hospitality isn’t busy entertaining, but instead welcomes drop-in guests to join the daily pageantry of family life.’  Do you know what that’s from?” 

Then, Anna and I burst into laughter together. 

It’s from our family cookbook. Cookbook is a stretch of the term. It’s the kind of family recipe collection you don’t show anyone who isn’t related to you by birth, adoption, or marriage. In my kitchen, blackened is always on the menu.

I only cook for people who love me unconditionally. 

In this episode, Anna shares her mom-in-law’s beautiful secret for welcoming new women into her family. Plus, she lists her favorite cookbooks with the personal memories they bring to mind. Find this podcast and many more at Fireside Talk Radio. 

Reading and Recipes

Reading and recipes go together like peanut butter and jelly. Hmm, I seem to be in the mood for a sandwich. 

Recipes are one of the best ways to teach your child to read. Who doesn’t love food?

“I don’t know anyone who ever met a kid who wasn’t motivated by food. They’re just hungry,” laughs Anna. “They need fuel for their body.”

A little bit of freedom in the kitchen quickly transforms into teaching precision, measurements, back to school success, even how to recover from mess-ups. Just for you and your kiddos, we’ve included my favorite kid-friendly Chimichuri recipe at the end of today’s blog.

Here are just a few of the benefits of welcoming your kiddos into your kitchen with a good recipe.

#1 Counting and Reading

“I love to let them do the counting part. As you get older, numbers are easy to read,” explains Anna. “It doesn’t involve sounding things out, just identifying one single shape. So that is a lovely segue into reading.”

Even the most active child is enchanted by creating in the kitchen, according to Anna. 

“Everybody who’s been in the kitchen with a kid knows they want to stir, and pour, and measure. They can hardly be still the first few times you actually let them do it.”

She suggests writing the numbers extra big, so even the youngest child can focus on them easily. And don’t forget to emphasize any fractions, math conversions, measurements, or substitutions you come across as you cook. 

“As kids start associating words and sounds with reading, you can make lists. You can make numbers big,” says Anna, adding one more important tip, “I often pre-measure things for my kids. So they can count and dump. So you’re not wasting ingredients.”

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