Cooking
It is vital that our young people have many opportunities every day to try to do things for themselves. Learning to do something independently can help give your young person the confidence to do other things. Furthermore, being able to complete day-to-day activities at home is key to preparing the skills required for future employment. A reward system can help motivate your child to try new tasks.
Please explore the ideas below to support your young person with cooking.
Homeworking Activities:
- Prepare a simple snack for yourself
- Prepare a cold or hot drink for yourself
- Cook a simple meal for yourself using a simple recipe
- Locate ingredients and cooking equipment in kitchen
- Return ingredients and cooking equipment to the correct locations
- Learn about healthy eating
- Learn about food-related hygiene
Resources and Strategies:
The recipes in these books are specifically for adults and young people with learning disabilities. They use lots of photographs to make the recipes more accessible.
‘Food a Fact of Life’ is a fantastic resource for schools and parents of children of all abilities. The website has excellent resources on cooking, healthy eating and food hygiene. As well as simple picture recipes, the website also includes a range of ‘how to’ cooking videos.
Aids and Adaptations:
AskSARA is an online self-help with expert advice and information on products and equipment to help with daily activities. Aids and adaptations to help with cooking can include:
- a specialist chopping board that will hold food in place
- a vertical grip cutting knife
- easy-open tin opener