Being a foster carer involves supporting positive lifestyle choices, nurturing education, strengthening mental health, and building positive bonds, which can all be achieved through cooking. For example, following instructions and reading recipes improves logical thinking and comprehension. Throughout this article, we explore five benefits of cooking with foster children.
An Opportunity for Education
Providing opportunities for positive education is a critical part of being a foster carer – you’ll be taught this by the friendly team at Fosterplus Glasgow. Cooking is a fantastic educational stream that covers several important areas including motor skills, mathematics, science, literacy, and life skills. If you can explain why you have to cook a certain way, it will make the experience much more meaningful.
Supporting Positive Mental Health
Children in care experience a range of different traumas that present in different ways, including depression, low confidence, and substance abuse. During a foster child’s time in your care, it’s your responsibility to provide a stable and nurturing environment that will promote positive mental health and behaviours.
According to family cooking experts, spending time in the kitchen together is great for boosting grades, building reliance, and regaining self-esteem. As well as this, if you have older foster children in your care, cooking can reduce substance abuse and teen pregnancies.
Helps with Healthy Eating
Some foster children in your care may have come from backgrounds where healthy eating wasn’t a priority, so you will likely have to put some work in to make this change. A great place to do this is in the kitchen, which gives foster children the chance to learn about different foods and experiment with flavours they might enjoy. Additionally, what little chef won’t want to try their own culinary creations?
If you’re struggling to come up with healthy recipes to try out together, have a look at these child-friendly recipes.
Helps Build Emotional Bonds
There’s been plenty of research linking family mealtimes and emotional attachments. However, this activity translates into the kitchen with meal prep and cooking. This time spent together will be cherished by your foster children, and they’ll look back on their time in your care fondly. As well as this, by exploring different recipes as a family, you’ll become a strong unit by learning more about each other.
Improving Confidence and Skills
Many foster children will arrive at your home with low self-esteem, and it’s your responsibility to empower them to discover their self-worth. By coming together to manage the kitchen, including shopping and cooking, you’ll help make them feel good about themselves. As well as this, depending on their age, you’ll boost their ability to help out around the house. Alongside the obvious benefits of cooking, the activity can teach your foster children to be resilient because there’s bound to be failure along the way.
Cooking with your foster children helps with education, relationships, confidence, and several other key life areas. Whenever you’re cooking together, make sure everyone follows the rules and stays safe.