06/07/2026
🍎👩🍳 Introducing Little Dot Kitchen! 👨🍳🍓
Over the last few weeks I’ve been busy creating a brand new part of our curriculum, and I’m so excited to finally share it with you!
Little Dot Kitchen will officially launch this September and will become a regular part of life here at Polka Dot Childminding.
Rather than simply cooking together, Little Dot Kitchen is designed to help children develop lifelong skills through meaningful, hands on experiences. We’ll enjoy monthly cooking sessions, alongside daily opportunities for children to take an active role in preparing their own food wherever possible. From writing shopping lists and choosing ingredients, to shopping, washing produce, setting the table, safely preparing food, baking and serving meals, every step is a valuable learning opportunity.
Today was a little preview of what’s to come! 🛒🍇🍌
The dots took their own shopping lists to the supermarket to buy the ingredients for their morning snack. Back at the setting, we washed our hands, put on our aprons and carefully created our own colourful fruit kebabs. There were lots of smiles (and plenty of tasting along the way too! 😋).
Cooking experiences provide so many opportunities for learning across the EYFS, including:
⭐ Communication and Language: following instructions, introducing new vocabulary, asking questions and talking about ingredients, textures and flavours.
⭐ Physical Development: strengthening fine motor skills through pouring, stirring, peeling, threading fruit, using child safe knives and developing good hand hygiene and healthy habits.
⭐ Personal, Social and Emotional Development: building confidence, independence, resilience, turn taking, teamwork and a willingness to try new foods.
⭐ Mathematics: counting ingredients, measuring, comparing quantities, recognising shapes and patterns, sequencing and solving simple problems.
⭐ Understanding the World: learning where food comes from, exploring seasonal produce, shopping within the local community and developing an understanding of healthy eating and food safety.
⭐ Expressive Arts and Design: being creative with food presentation, experimenting with colours and textures, and taking pride in creating something to share.
Little Dot Kitchen also supports the EYFS ambition for children to become confident, capable and independent learners, giving them real-life experiences that help prepare them for school and everyday life.
I can’t wait to share our recipes, creations and learning adventures with you when Little Dot Kitchen officially launches in September! 💛🍽️
