Cooking supports all areas of the curriculum from reading recipes, to measuring ingredients and learning about changes of state.
Cooking is now considered part of Froebel's Occupations - creative activities and experiences for young children.
"Through the Occupations, children can:
- represent, be inventive and engage creatively and imaginatively
- build their physical competencies
- make links to everyday life, nature, knowledge and understanding
- be empowered to move from the here and now to the abstract (so laying the foundations of literacy and mathematical understanding)
- develop dispositions and attitudes that will benefit them in the adult world of work."
Prof. Tina Bruce and Jane Dyke, Learning from Froebel (2017)
"Involving children in the whole process of cooking from finding utensils, preparation of ingredients through to tidying away provides children with a wide range of experiences and helps them develop many skills."
Anna Denton and Dr Lucy Parker, Cooking with young children (2024)
A collection of cooking related resources and guides for educators:
Cooking workshop for educators
Presented & recorded by Froebel trained educators at Guildford Nursery School & Family Centre. Packed with practical advice for educators in early years settings. April 2024
Download a free pamphlet
This interactive PDF introduces a Froebelian approach to cooking in schools and early years settings today. Feb 2024
Let's cook!
A 5min film about a Froebel Trust funded project supporting cooking and inclusive practice in a nursery school. July 2023
Download a free Occupations poster
First produced by Nursery World magazine, in association with Community Playthings, in 2017. This poster introduces the Froebelian Occupations. Free to download and display.
Growing, cooking and eating
An article observing how the experience of growing produce and cooking can support every child's learning. A case study from Guildford Nursery School & Family Centre. Feb 2024
Developing the occupation of cooking
An article reflecting on how an early years setting has introduced cooking to their curriculum. A case study from Guildford Nursery School. July 2023
Even with limited space, planting and growing is possible throughout the year. A herb garden can be added to an outside area or a window ledge inside and vegetables can be grown in a small container.
Cooking with children provides many opportunities to learn about nature. Children can make connections between the experiences of growing, harvesting, cooking and eating. Experience and understanding of nature were central to Froebel’s ideas and Occupations.
