The Little Chef – Kitchen Mathematics

There are more than cooking lessons to be had in the kitchen. There are math lessons in every measuring cup. Turn your little chef into mathematicians with this recipe for success in the kitchen.

Children are innately creative – they will use pencils, Play-Doh, or pillows to generate a unique work of art, which they proudly display for all to see. Nowhere are your children more creative than in the kitchen, where they are fascinated by the process of combining ingredients to create a culinary masterpiece.

Quantity retrieval Your little chef can go in the pantry or the cabinet and get a specified number of items. Don’t trust your little chef with the eggs? Your little chef can count the plates and set the table so you can enjoy your homemade treat together. Make sure when your little chef brings the items to you, you count them together.

Basic measuring Reading a recipe and measuring ingredients is the simplest way to expose your little chef to fractions.

Doubling a recipe Once your little chef has master measuring ingredients add a more complex math lesson by changing the amount of ingredients required.

Estimation You’ve used some milk, but how much? You used most of the eggs, but how many are left? Have your little chef tally the amount of ingredients left over. Did you use half of the container? A third? After everyone makes a guess, count or measure the ingredients.

Elapsed time Have your little chef check the clock before you put your creation in the oven and – based on the recipe’s suggested cooking time- decide how long to set the timer and what time your snack will be ready. Once the timer gets going, you can ask your chef how much time has passed since your snack went into the oven.

Sharing a meal This is basic division or subtraction for your little chef. A great math lesson to make sure everyone gets a fair slice of the culinary masterpiece!

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