20/04/2020
With schools still Shutdown, We continue with our ‘Lockdown series’
DAY 22. Activities of Everyday Living
Healthy development is all about learning to develop one's body physically, cognitively, linguistically, emotionally and socially. During the child's very early years, this possibility for development rests on the support and opportunities that the child receives from the adults in her/his environment.
Food preparation is an important part of healthy development that has many far-reaching benefits.
* PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Gross and fine motor skills are engaged in all food preparation activities. We balance, locomote, and manipulate objects. We use hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination and we cross our midlines. All crucial developmental skills.
* COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Where do we even start? There are shape lessons, colour lessons, size lessons, weight lessons, texture lessons, olfactory (smell) lessons, gustatory (taste) lessons... all just waiting to happen here!
* LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
As above - the kitchen is a wonderful place for the development of vocabulary, language, and grammar skills. Think of all the nouns (naming words), the verbs (action words), adjectives (words describing nouns) and adverbs (words describing actions) that the child can be introduced to.
* EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Food binds people together - in preparation and in eating. How often do you have the time to enjoy preparing a meal together? The emotional ties and attachments created during these times cannot be replaced with any academic learning.
* SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Mealtimes are a time for social learning, conversation and togetherness. We learn many social conventions, traditions and cultural considerations over food.
So - now that we know why we are doing this, let's get on with...
* MAKING A FRUIT SALAD *
One way of getting the child engaged in food preparation is by having an assortment of interesting 'gadgets' and 'tools'.
PREPARATION
* Invite the child to help you make the fruit salad for the next meal.
There are no fixed rules here other than just gently guiding the child to do it all by him/herself with assistance only where required.
BON APETIT