School Holiday Ideas in Melbourne: Kids Cooking Classes Will Work a Treat

Looking for engaging Melbourne school holiday activities in 2024? Look no further than Melbourne cooking classes for kids! Designed to make your break a breeze, these sessions are both kid and family-friendly. From crafting cupcakes to mastering dumpling making and sushi rolling, Melbourne offers a bunch of workshops for kids to dive into. Not only are these cooking classes a blast, but they also offer a host of benefits for both children and parents alike. By participating, kids not only have fun but also develop foundational kitchen skills and enhance their gross motor abilities. What's more, these classes provide an opportunity for children to socialise with fellow young chefs, make new friends and boost their confidence. Plus, as they acquire these new skills, they become valuable helpers during mealtimes at home. That's a win-win for both of you! These cooking classes for kids are amongst the top things to do in Melbourne with kids, especially during school holidays. So, let's explore why encouraging kids to get involved in the kitchen and don their adorable little chef uniforms is a fantastic idea!

The benefits of cooking with kids

Cooking is not only fun for a child, but it can also help them develop important life skills. When kids learn to cook, they build confidence, develop better decision-making abilities, and strengthen their math and vocabulary skills. And, because the best cooking classes in Melbourne are social and fun, you’ll never have to convince your little one to go - they’ll be more than excited!

You’ll watch your children develop a newfound appreciation for food when they’re able to make it themselves. Kids who may have been picky eaters will now be excited to try new things simply because they made it themselves. A good place to start is by exploring the nutrition website Eat For Health, where you’ll find colourful ingredient charts that will pique the interest of even the most closed-minded of kids.

As the parenting website Raising Children points out, teaching children to cook is also a great way to instil healthy eating habits. It’s an opportunity to get them familiar with and excited about healthy ingredients. After all, pre-packaged food may taste good to a child, but it’s definitely not as fun to stick something in the microwave as it is to pick out, prepare and cook fresh ingredients.

While you may not be thinking about your little one growing up just yet, knowing how to cook will be a wonderful advantage for them in the future. According to Kids News, the statistics show that a staggering number of Australian teens are a bit lost in the kitchen. When they’re ready to move out on their own, it will be hard for them to be self-reliant without being able to feed themselves. That’s why teaching children to cook at a young age is such an important gift we can give to the next generation (plus, it's a great hack for how to save money too). When they’re ready to go off on their own, they’ll have the experience and confidence to cook for themselves - and probably their university buddies, too!

Why families love kid-friendly cooking classes

During most of the year, many of us get distracted by life’s daily responsibilities. School, work, team sports, recitals, and household chores get in the way of us being able to spend more than a few moments together every day. In fact, for many families, mealtimes are the only chance we have to sit down and enjoy each other’s company.

Taking cooking classes in Melbourne expands the quality time that we get to spend together. Instead of everyone gathering around the dinner table, the family has the opportunity to spend time cooking together, too. And, once a child learns that cooking can be a time for creativity and fun, they’ll be drawn to the kitchen long after the cooking classes are over. And it’s not just the kids who will love taking cooking classes. As adults, we can always develop our skills in the kitchen and renew our love for cooking. Just because a cooking class is designed for kids doesn’t mean that you won’t also learn some great new recipes and cooking techniques too.

Some of our Melbourne cooking courses are designed specifically for parents and their kids, making them a great bonding opportunity for you and your child. You can make sushi together, learn how to make pasta from scratch or create one-of-a-kind DIY pizzas. These classes have been planned for groups of two and three, where you can be an extra helping hand to guide your kids. These parent and child classes are a great option if you're little one is a little nervous to learn how to cook or socialise with other kids. Perfect if you're on the hunt for exciting Melbourne school holiday activities that you can do together.

Plus, you’ll have a chance to meet other parents and learn best practices for getting your kids engaged in the kitchen. Especially if you’ve got a picky eater on your hands, it can be really beneficial to learn from other parents about how to get your kids enthused about healthy foods.

Kids' cooking classes in Melbourne

Finding kids' cooking classes that will appeal to your little one and the rest of the family doesn’t have to be tricky. OTAO Kitchen in Melbourne offers a unique and fun parent and kids cooking class, where you can learn how to cook Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese or Chinese dishes. They also have a four-part school holiday cooking course for children ages 10 to 16. No matter which kids cooking class you choose, your children will love the fun, supportive atmosphere that experienced instructor and chef Hà Nguyen creates in these amazing workshops.

A cooking class for kids is just the beginning

You’ll find that the skills your child develops in kids cooking classes in Melbourne are really just the beginning of a lifelong relationship with food. There’s no end to their culinary journey, and your entire family will enjoy watching them take their love for cooking to new levels all the time.

So go ahead and buy your family members matching aprons and sign up for the next kids cooking class!

References

1) eatforhealth.gov.au

2) kidsnews.com.au

3) raisingchildren.net.au