Your 7-Year-Old: Your own kitchen classroom

Your own kitchen classroom

Most kids love to cook. And why not? When you think about it, cooking is a process that echoes many of the skills second graders are learning in school, primarily in math and science. Messing around in the kitchen, whether you're making pancakes or a fancy dinner, is a great way to spend time together while reinforcing school lessons. The results are fun to share with the rest of the family, too.

Your 7-year-old now

Outside of school, what's one of the best classrooms for your child? Your kitchen! Cooking together reinforces the math and reading lessons your child is learning at school.

It's not hard to see how cooking teaches math. Your child can already count and write numbers up to 100 and do simple addition and subtraction problems. But cooking can teach many other concepts:

Fractions. When the recipe calls for 1/2 cup and you double or halve the recipe, how much will you need?
Measuring. Have your child pick the correct measuring spoons and cups for you. Which is bigger — 1/2 or 3/4 cup? Let him measure the size of the pan you're using.
Estimating and volume. Will two cans of soup fit into the saucepan he chose?
Time. The cookies bake for ten minutes, and they've been in for five. How much time is left? What time will it be then?
The best part about cooking with your child? At the end of these lessons, you have something yummy to share.

Your life now

Is your child old enough to be left home alone when you run out for an errand? Most experts say no. And some states set a minimum age at which children may be left unsupervised. Even if your 7-year-old is mature for his age, he's probably not old enough to be capable of handling safety emergencies if something goes wrong.