Class Action: There's a lot for little ones to learn in the kitchen

Well, to begin with anything she loves doing with you is going to enhance the work she does at school. Don't underestimate the value of talking time. Discussing what you are doing and why gives her a firmer grasp of cause and effect. It lets her see what you are thinking as you do things. This, in turn, will become part of how she expresses herself more fully, both when speaking to others and communicating in her written work.

Parents often overestimate the value of what they see written down and push writing too much. Teachers need time to help children develop how they describe their world just by talking about it. They need to learn how to express their viewpoint orally first before they feel comfortable writing it down.

Involve your daughter in following the recipe. If she is old enough to read, she can read out the ingredients to you as you put them out, or let her get them out where she is able. Then you can ask her to put them in the order used in the recipe. Always stress the importance of reading through and understanding the instructions before you begin to help her learn about planning.

Instructional texts are part of a rounded English curriculum and being able to read, understand and write one are all things she will need to know. Look at the ingredients as a shopping list and show her what you are missing and add it to your things to buy. Point out that it is good to list the ingredients first so you don't start making it and find you don't have everything. This helps her to understand why instructional texts are presented the way they are.

Talk to her about the order of the steps. What would happen if you did them backwards? Can you switch any of them around? Is there a more helpful way to structure the text? Present it as pictures? Help her to see that how you structure the text is very important.