Teach Your Kids to Bake: The Whys and Hows ~
Written by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool and Introverted Moms
About a month ago, I started teaching my children to bake. For years they have watched and “helped” me in the kitchen, standing around the center island with their own mixing bowls. But recently I felt my kids were ready to bake on their own.
Prefer to listen instead?
I expected this would be fun–but I had no idea how much of a positive impact it would have on our homeschool.
Baking is now a core component of our school day on Tuesdays. (Doesn’t this bring to mind Little House?!)
“Ma used to say: Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Wednesday, Churn on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest on Sunday. Laura liked the churning and the baking days best of all the week.”
– Little House in the Big Woods
Want to know how and why we’ve added baking to our curriculum?
Teach Your Kids to Bake: The Whys
Independence
Haven’t you noticed that kids around age 8 desperately want to act “grown up?” Many aspects of adult life still lie outside their reach, and that frustrates them.
The idea of baking and cooking without assistance connects with the deep yearning they have for more freedom and responsibility. In a homeschool setting, we can easily give them this chance to spread their wings!
Excitement
Much of our family’s homeschooling philosophy comes from the principles of Thomas Jefferson Education. Two out of three of my kids are currently starting to move from the first phase of learning, called Core Phase, into the second, called Love of Learning.
As its name suggests, love of learning phase is all about falling deeply in love with learning–learning that which excites them as students.
And what kid doesn’t find chocolate chip cookies exciting? I rest my case.
The start of adult skills
After we finish this class, I plan to introduce a cooking class, then a household cleaning class, and so on.
Our baking course is therefore the start of learning adult skills. (My children already help with meals and cleaning, but these will be more formal, structured lessons.)
Venturing into formal learning
As you’ll see below, our baking class is fairly structured. As an interest-led homeschooler, most of our learning is informal. With these adult skills classes, I’m paving the way toward more formal learning in the future–but in a way that still inspires and connects with my children.
As I watch Trishna and Jonathan read recipes aloud, concentrate and focus on their task, and measure ingredients, I am deeply convinced that this activity “counts as homeschooling.”
The Hows
1. Each child over the age of eight is “invited” to enroll in the class.
I invited each child separately to have a tea time in front of the fire with Mommy. I did my best to make it an inspirational moment, explained the baking classes to them, presented them with their binder (see below), and asked if they’d like to participate.
Trishna (age 9) and Jonathan (age 8) are currently taking baking lessons with me (individually, not at the same time). Elijah (age 7) knows his turn will come soon, and I made him a binder too–though it’s empty at the moment–so he wouldn’t feel left out.
2. Present the child with a binder.
This binder holds the syllabus for the class, recipes as the child progresses, and information for any adult skills classes they take in the future.
3. Get baking!
I made a list of ten items that we’ll learn to bake. The children make each recipe three times: once with me teaching, once with me there to help as needed, and once all on their own!
This means that it will take us about 30 weeks to finish this class. I sign off in their binder when we complete each week’s lesson.
Note from Jamie: Check out my follow up post, Recipes to bake with your kids, for links to the specific recipes we use and love.
4. Graduation
We agreed that when they can make all ten items without help, they graduate!
To celebrate, we will host a party for them where they can invite friends and bake all the treats themselves to show off their new skills. Steve and I will also buy them their own apron as a graduation gift–fun, right?!
Free Printable
It’s simple to create your own, but you’re welcome to download and print out the baking “syllabus” we’re using. Enjoy!
I’m stunned to see that my eight-year-old son can make three loaves of bread from scratch, and I watched in awe as my daughter whipped up her first batch of chocolate chip cookies. Now this is my idea of a living education!
NOTE: To read a follow-up to this post, head here!
Would you like to teach your kids to bake, too? How have you integrated learning adult skills into your homeschool?
This post originally published on November 12, 2012.
What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!
A call to homeschool high school
I love this idea. What 10 items did you decide on? I see choc chip cookies and bread which are two awesome items!!! I can’t wait to start this with my kids. I was trying to figure out how to teach them how to cook more formally and this is great! Thanks again for the great idea!
Hi Karen! I did a follow up post today sharing the specific items. You can find it here: http://simplehomeschl.wpengine.com/recipe-links/
Love the binder idea and “enrolling in a course.” My girls would want to do it just because it sounds so grown up! Thanks for the idea!
Andrea
In every day life, I am constantly pointing out what I am doing to my children. Even the mundane activities will be explained. For example, if I am writing a to-do list, I stop and tell my children that in order to help uncrowd mommy’s mind and make sure mommy doesn’t forget to do anything today, I have just grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and am writing things down that are in my head that need to be done. I explain that I will cross off each item as it gets done and it makes me feel better.
That is just one example. The truth is that I am already in the habit of pointing out what seems obvious to me, to my children. For the most part, habits and activities that are mundane or come naturally to me, are new to them, and they are often quite fascinated with learning the ways of the “adults.”
Thank you for this post!
You are so organized. My poor kids, learning to cook and clean with no binder to show for their efforts. Just supper on the table (smile).
This is great! Thanks! I see adults struggle with some things like simple baking and other home tasks because they weren’t taught, and it’s not something I want my kids to be frustrated by. My girls have always helped me in the kitchen since they could help whisk ingredients, but I love the idea of making it a little more intentional from time to time. 🙂
I gave my daughter a “Life Skills” Binder around age 6. So far it has how to clean her room and bathroom and how to set a table. She goes to public school but these are skills that are not taught there. Now that she is 8 she has regular cooking sessions with Dad. You are right it’s something with this age that makes her want to be “grown up”.
This is what I love about homeschooling, they can learn important life skills that are often missed out in many public schools. I really love the idea of baking classes, but I love the fact that my kids will eventually be able to do the baking all the more!
I love the idea of an adult skills binder! Awesome!
What a wonderful idea. Both of my girls (2 & 4) love cooking with me and I can’t wait until they are old enough to do this. I did have one question, did you stagger what they baked so you didn’t have tons of cookies one week and too much bread the next? Or have them make the same thing for ease of set up?
Good question, Lisa! We stagger what they make.
So happy to see this to provide some structure for what I’m wanting to do! I have two boys, who between them, have allergies to wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, peanuts and tree nuts. Needless to say, learning to cook for themselves is VERY much a necessary life skill! Thank you!
Loved reading this. My son 8yo has been asking to cook and knit for about 3 years. Our local co-op would only take girls for these classes. Local kid cooking classes are all sugar and food coloring (cooking with mom is not fun). I just showed him this and the binder too keep his special recipes and he said cool I’ll let you show me a few things.
Thanks for this!
The best part is understanding the age-appropriate time to expect to incorporate this! I’m itching to plan and teach my oldest, but she’s only 4!
*sigh*
It’s great to see that the formal stuff will come and to hold tight and enjoy this Phase of learning!
xo
My daughter will be 8 in January. I would love to integrate this into our homeschool days. Thanks for sharing! Is Thomas Jefferson education anything like Raymond Moore education?
My girls have been loving baking class. The 4yo gets a simple class with simpler recipes, and the 6yo gets to do a little more, but they love it! I can’t wait to do cooking class with them. 🙂
This is wonderful! Sanz from The Mrs sent me over here and I\’m so glad I checked this out. I\’m a former early childhood educator with over 20 years of experience and I find one of the best learning tools is cooking! So much is covered; language, math, science, even social studies! You can weave a whole curriculum from a recipe (which I\’ve done a number of times with my own daughter). Thanks again!
I recently started actively baking with my soon to be 4 yr old. She enjoyed it so much and it’s amazing how much she can get involved with. I like your idea of the binder tho. When she’s old enough to bake independently, I will try out your idea.
I am defiantly interested in following this adventure. I plan on teaching my sons cooking this year. I have a text book called food for thought that teaches about planning, creating, and preparing meals, eating proper foods, etc. I do like what you are doing with the binder idea and such. I cant wait to see your next stages with the cooking, cleaning, and etc of the life/adult skills course.
My kids are so excited to start this up. I have two kids and I’m trying to figure out my recipes. I’m not sure that I want them making the same thing as each other each week as I would have an overload of the same thing (although we could give it away). Would it be better for them to have their own list (completely separate from each other), just stagger the recipes throughout the school year, or keep the ingredients simple and have them bake the same thing but just deliver some to the neighbors? What do you do?
We divided up so that there would be some variety to it.
One more question to add on. 🙂 Did you have your kids make the recipe 3 times before moving on to a new recipe?
Yep, that’s right!
Thank you so much for this post. I ran across it via FB about a month ago. I am often frustrated in the kitchen because I have so many little hands trying to assist me. Your ideas helped me to put together my own little curriculum for my kiddos. Thanks so much. http://takingroute.net/2014/09/18/home-baking-class-for-kids/
I saw this a while ago and I’m going to do this with my 10 yr old son and my 8 yr old daughter. I am going to do it with both of them together though. It will be something for them to learn to work together something not always the best learned. Excited to start this next week!!
Love this! Thanks for posting. Came across this while searching for homeschool curriculum ideas about baking since my 7 y/o said we should add baking class to our homeschool. We’ll get started soon!
I love that you’re doing this! Baking is a life long skill:-) I’ve recently starting letting my 3 girls, ages 9,7,&6 each make a loaf of bread, from scratch when I bake a batch for the family. They love it and so do I! They also form buns for me when I bake those. And help/prepare other meals and bake cookies/bars:-) The boy, ages 10, 5 & 2, like to get in on the action too, although my oldest is usually helping on the farm, so not at home during these baking sessions.
don’t miss out on the chance to double, tripple or even cut recipies in 1/2 or 1/3 if you don’t have enough eggs. Or are having guests! Teaches a great hands on fraction application!!! 😉
I have cooked with my girls over the years but have never put together a formal course. My oldest daughter is excited to formally learn our favorite recites and bake on her own. I plan on using your template to build our baking course. Last year, we put together four episodes of a cooking show and posted them on YouTube. If you would like to check them out, they are all posted on my blog here: http://home-educator.com/kids-in-the-kitchen/