Cooking and Nutrition
Teaching children about cooking and food can make a real difference to the quality of their lives; it equips them with the confidence to make healthy food choices as well as teaching them how to enjoy their food.
Learning to cook from an early age can contribute to maintaining a healthy weight, improving oral health and general health and wellbeing.
Cooking is also a perfect tool for teachers to captivate and stimulate children’s interest and enjoyment of food as well as building their self-confidence so they are always proud of the dishes they have made.
In primary schools food education, including cooking and food skills is a statutory part of the primary curriculum within design and technology and science. Elements of healthy eating, especially the social aspects, should also be taught within PSHE.
Cooking and food can be taught through particular topics, be a topic itself, provide a focus for literacy, numeracy and link to growing. Learning cooking and food skills also prepares pupils for transition to secondary school where they will be taught more formal food technology with opportunities to further develop their skills.