transform your family's nutrition with free cooking classes at Dayton Children's

In this article

• Is my child getting the nutrition they need?  
• What age should my child start cooking?  
• I want to book a cooking class with my child!  

Nutrition is important for helping kids grow strong and healthy. But a lot of kids today are missing out on some much-needed nutrients.  

The CDC says:  

• Fewer than 1 in 10 children and adults eat the recommended daily amount of vegetables. 
• Only 4 in 10 children and fewer than 1 in 7 adults eat enough fruit. 
• Many children aged 1–5 years, are not eating fruits and vegetables daily and are regularly drinking sugar-sweetened beverages.  

That’s a problem! 

Good nutrition is an important habit to start at a young age. People with healthy eating patterns live longer and are at lower risk for serious health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. For people with chronic diseases, healthy eating can help manage these conditions and prevent complications. 

Do you want to improve your family’s nutrition and eating habits? 

Are you interested in learning how to make a well-rounded meal with the ingredients you already have at home?  

Do you want to know what foods you can buy from the store that can leave your stomach feeling full without your wallet feeling empty?  

The Dayton Children’s community teaching kitchen can help through our cooking classes that are free for all ages and families. These classes are all about teaching good nutrition while creating a bonding experience for families and groups. The best part, you’ll leave every class with a recipe to try at home!

how a cooking class can improve nutrition at home

We need kids to learn how to cook! In addition to teaching kids how to help with meals at home, taking a cooking class at Dayton Children's community teaching kitchen will: 

• Help kids learn basic skills like math and literacy while learning to make a recipe.
• Encourage kids to explore different foods and boost their confidence as they succeed at cooking their own delicious meals. 
• Allow kids to get messy and make mistakes- in someone else’s kitchen instead of yours!

Kids are never too young to  young to learn about food and nutrition at the community teaching kitchen. Here’s what we would explore during a cooking class for each age group:  

Preschoolers: Children in this age group love to get hands-on with food. They learn in the cooking class that food is more than just nutrition. 

Different foods have unique tastes, smells, textures, temperatures and so on! Getting preschool aged kids exposed to new and different foods early and often is important to helping them feel more willing to try new foods and avoid growing into a picky eater. Bonus, we’ll let them make a mess in our kitchen instead of yours! 

Elementary: Kids at this age are curious and ready to try different techniques in the kitchen. They often want to learn new recipes. We love to make sure elementary aged kids know what makes up a healthy meal and some basic cooking techniques. This helps to build their independence and feel confident to offer help at home.  

Preteen/Teenagers: Kids at this are more independent, and are spending more time away from home with

friends. We know kids around this age also have a big appetite to feed those growth spurts.

Maybe they’re an athlete or preparing to leave home for the next adult phase of their life.  Cooking classes can help them know how to prepare healthy well-balanced meals for themselves. We do lessons about preparing low-cost healthy recipes that they can confidently do from start to finish.  

Book a cooking class with the community teaching kitchen today!

At Dayton Children’s community teaching kitchen, we are here to help your kiddos of all ages grow into adults who can help prepare their own meals and become independent. The cooking classes will help your child understand what a balanced healthy meal is, how to help prepare meals and how to make good nutrition decisions as they grow older. 

The community teaching kitchen has: 

• Eight different themed cooking classes, from picky eating to reduced fat!
• Up to 10 participants a class. 
• Special recipes for people with allergies and food aversions.

Get started and book a class today!

book a cooking class today