Cooking with kids is a fun way to spend some time together, and provides a great opportunity for learning – from numbers and letters, to teamwork and time. Also getting kids involved in creating their meal from a young age, fosters an interest in where their food comes from, and they are more inclined to eat it. Laura of My Toddler Cooks shares her toddler’s joy and delight, at cracking her first egg, and making super easy pancakes.

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“I just cracked my first egg, I can’t believe it!”

These were My Toddler’s (MT) words on Saturday morning after I gave her her first egg to crack while making pancakes. She had an allergy when she was a baby so maybe this added to the excitement of finally being able to experience this crazy phenomenon of taking an egg from an egg shell!!

I am an advocate of getting children into the kitchen. I have made my kitchen child friendly rather than child proof, and so I have had MT cooking with me, and learning with me, since she could sit up.

I am passionate about early childhood development and education, and have seen how so many benefits overlap between the classroom and the kitchen. There are so many learning opportunities in the kitchen, not only about how to cook.

The reaction MT had on Saturday was one of self-fulfillment, confidence and success. A child is nourished by such feelings and it feeds them to continue to strive to be their best.

May also like 12 Useful Kids Cooking Skills Easily Mastered by Preschoolers & The 20 Best Things About Cooking with Kids

Making Pancakes

On Saturday, we made pancakes using a mixture of regular flour and cornmeal four. They tasted really good, especially with a few chocolate sprinkles on top!!

During the mixing process, MT asked if she could make a chocolate pancake. I replied “yes of course, what do you think we should add”? MT then replied “hot chocolate powder” and so we separated some of the pancake mixture into a small bowl for her to continue with her newly invented recipe.

MT added a dusting of coco powder and continued to mix. We then cooked the pancake together on the pan and shared her creation.

We also finished the regular pancakes and ate these too! They were really delicious and fun to dress up. We had natural yogurt, raspberries, banana, honey, chopped almonds, chia seeds and chocolate sprinkles to choose from!

Here is the recipe in case you want to give it a go. It’s a super recipe for building up your child’s motor skills with all the mixing. (Motor Skills are used for writing and much more!)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of regular flour
• 1 cup of cornmeal flour (sometimes known as Indian corn meal I think)
• 1 cup of milk
• Butter for frying (you can also put a knob into the mixture if you wish)

Method:

1. Crack the eggs and beat. Mix in the milk
2. In a separate bowl mix both flours together.
3. Create a hollow in the middle of the flours and slowly pour in eggs milk mixture while whisking into a smooth liquid. You can use an electric beater if you like.
4. Leave to sit for 20 minutes.
5. Add a small knob of butter to a hot pan and spoon on the mixture to create a thin layer on the pan in the best circle you can make!
6. Flip once the bottom is cooked and fry until cooked through.
7. Dress your pancakes with lots of healthy toppings (and a few chocolate sprinkles!!)

Enjoy!

This post is by Blogger Laura, Mum of 1 toddler – My Toddler, aka MT – who writes about all things kitchen in My Toddler Cooks. With a background in Primary and Montessori education, she sees the learning that can be done while cooking in the kitchen, and incorporates fun learning ideas into her blog posts You can also follow Laura on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

May also like 4 of the Best Simple Recipes for Homemade Pancakes & How to Make Pancakes in Fun Shapes

Over to you! Let us know if you enjoy cooking with your kids in comments below.