10 Reasons Why You Should Teach Your Kids To Bake

Children learn the best when they are having fun. Miss K and I love reading books. Her favorite books are those that celebrate holidays and their traditions. Without fail, after finishing each book, she always asks me, "what happens next"?  She's interested in why people celebrate the holidays they do and what traditions people have. We have many traditions in our family, but I love to create new ones with my kids.

Baking is one of them. Besides being my favorite past time, it is a great way to teach kids important life lessons. It's one thing to show my girls a beautifully decorated cake, finished and ready to taste. But it's much more fun if they learn how to bake it themselves!

Here are my Top 10 Reasons why you should teach your kids to bake. They will have so much fun, they won't even know they are learning!

1) Independence - Around age 3, kids want to do everything themselves. They are taking more chances and choosing to do things on their own. From recipes to flavors to decorations, baking allows kids to make their own choices.

2) Preparation - You need to have all the right ingredients to make a masterpiece. Teaching a child to write a list and shop for the necessary ingredients will teach her how to be prepared for other important tasks/events.

3) Following Directions - Baking involves following a recipe. Your child will learn to follow steps in order, seeing the progression it takes to make a finished product. And let's not forget reading! You need to learn how to read in order to follow a recipe, right?

4) Math Skills - Measuring out ingredients, adding, subtracting, dividing... math is more fun when you don't even know your doing it.

5) Science Skills - Baking is science. Adding wet ingredients with dry ingredients, put in the oven at a certain temperature and poof! You made a delicious treat. How's that for cause and effect?

6) Time Management - Timing is everything. Kids do better when kept on a schedule, and so does a cake. Learning to be on time and keep to deadlines is an important life lesson which will carry them through to adulthood.

7) Patience - Sure, you could just go buy a cupcake at the local bakery down the street. Instead, show your child that the best things in life are worth waiting for. It's much more satisfying to see their faces when they taste their own creation.

8) Problem Solving - Sometimes, despite their good effort, the cake doesn't rise. Mistakes happen. Help him learn to figure out what went wrong and try again. Practice makes perfect!

9) Creativity - Once that delectable dessert is cooled, it's time to decorate! Give your child the creative freedom to be artistic. Then watch how proud they are to show you their yummy masterpiece.

10) Confidence - Baking gives kids the confidence to try new things. Try a new recipe next time or encourage them to make up their own! Either way, baking can be a positive experience that will give them the tools they need to be successful in adulthood.

What are you waiting for? Get Baking!