4 Reasons Why Schools Should Encourage Teenage Students To Cook At Home
Roughly half of 12-18 year olds don’t know how to boil an egg. Students that don’t know how to cook when moving away from home will soon realise that eating out is expensive and living off packaged and prepared food will quickly get you out of shape. Their parents will know too…
Nutritionally and financially nothing tops a home cooked meal….
For teenagers that have never cooked before, the thought of preparing an entire dish by themselves can be discouraging. It takes a lot of practice to become a skilled cook. The sooner teenagers get started the earlier they’ll learn how to make more complicated dishes.. Schools have a great opportunity to be the inspiration that gets those teenagers from being clueless about cooking to eventually semi-mastering this skill that will become essential once they leave home. After months of practice, when one of your students serves a meal for their friends and someone asks them how they learned to cook, your school could be their answer!
Here are 4 reasons why every teenager should know how to cook before they leave for college:
When it’s time for students to fend for themselves, they’ll quickly realise that eating at restaurants and getting takeout costs a pretty penny. They’ll certainly have a much cheaper, healthier and easier time if they know how to cook some straightforward dishes.
Preparing a large amount of food is no more difficult than cooking a meal just for yourself. Food-prep is a great time and money saver! When teenagers learn how to cook nothing is stopping them from being in charge of the sunday roast at home, or making enough food to have some leftovers for lunch the next day, saving them time and money from having to eat out or cook again the next day.
Inspires Healthy Eating
Eating healthy is much easier when you know how to cook and therefore know what to purchase at the supermarket! When trying a new dish, students quickly learn what ingredients are healthy and which nutrients are needed to create a well balanced meal and diet. Nutritious food keeps students focused and energised while learning, and is vital for their physical and mental health.
Imagine you come home after work and your kid tells you they’ll handle the cooking while you kick back on the couch. Making dinner for their family will put teens on better terms with their parents and give them a sense of accomplishment and contribution. Same for when they head off to college and can cook for their new friends in the dorm!
Like every new skill, learning how to cook is an achievement to be proud of. The satisfaction of seeing their progress will certainly boost a teenager’s confidence, not to mention their level of independence. For a parent, knowing that their kids can cook will be a HUGE blessing when the time comes for their first adventure away from home.
Encourages Quality Time with Family and Friends
Families that prepare meals together have more quality time, and an activity to bond over. Deciding what to cook and completing tasks in the kitchen also teaches teens valuable skills such as responsibility, planning, decision making and teamwork.
Cooking is a great group activity and gives teenagers a chance to hang out together, away from screens. When your students depart for college it can be difficult to find new friends; a home-cooked meal can be a great ice-breaker.
Among big trends in private school marketing in 2020, teaching teenagers life skills is definitely at the top of the list.
Schools can encourage their students to learn cooking by offering them classes or by giving them the supplies they need to get started. Encouraging students to learn this new life skill will improve your school’s reputation among prospective parents who are trying to decide what school to send their bright teenager to.
In this decision making process, parents talk to each other! If they learn about what your school does outside the traditional curriculum, you’ll certainly have those unique features which can make your school a top choice!
It’s a win/win! By encouraging cooking at home, you’ll also be you’ll also be by inspiring your students to learn skills that actually prepare them for college. The time is now while they’re all stuck at home!