As temperatures cool down and holiday spirit amps up, it is likely that holiday baking is in your future. Take this opportunity to spend quality time with your children. Lake Forrest Prep, one of the best private schools in Orlando, wants to make sure that you know how to transform holiday baking into a unique learning experience for your child.

Allow Your Child to Lead

When baking holiday cookies, put your child in charge for a batch. Doing this allows your child to develop many skills. As they read the directions and formulate a plan, they are sharpening their reading comprehension and instruction following skills. They are also learning how to lead independently and be confident decision makers!

See Baking as a Math and Science Lesson

There are so many opportunities to teach children about math and science while baking. While following directions, your child will be counting, adding, and problem-solving. Maybe even halve or double a recipe so that your little cookie creator can learn to multiply or divide ingredients. Additionally, if your child is at the age where they are learning about fractions, adding ingredients in increments, like a half cup, can reinforce the lessons they are learning in class. Lastly, baking literally creates a scientific reaction right before your child’s eyes! Take some time to explore why all the ingredients mixed together and placed in the oven result in such a sensational change!

Point out the Life Lessons

Believe it or not, baking holds a variety of life lessons. Point these out while baking with your children. First, baking seems to prove that creating something for yourself, rather than feeling instant gratification by purchasing something, is more rewarding. It teaches children to be patient and wait for the reward. Additionally, baked treats are often shared with others. This teaches children that sharing is fun and joyful.

Overall, there are a variety of lessons your children can learn while baking, especially if you thoughtfully point them out. Next time you begin a batch of holiday cookies, involve your children and see which lessons seem to excite them the most! If you are interested in learning more about Lake Forrest Prep, one of the best private schools in Orlando, please contact us through our website to schedule a tour.