CULINARY CHATS | Eleanor (23 months) has always been a chatterbox, but she has recently experienced a
language explosion where she wants to talk about anything and everything. She frequently asks
us, “what’s that?” and tries to find relationships between things to help provide context.
A few weeks ago, she got a book about animals baking cookies. Through the book, she has learned
about measuring cups, baking sheets, and other cooking tools. When she watches me make
dinner, she notices when I’m using these items and points out that it is “just like the book!” This
has initiated many conversations around cooking and other activities we do in the kitchen.
Eleanor has never shown much interest in helping me cook before, but now she loves it. We
listen to music and I explain each step while she asks, “what is mama doing?” and “what’s
that?” a dozen times. We talk about the various foods we eat, the preparation process, and
the tools we use. Her favorite way to help is to mash sweet potatoes and scoop them out of the
bowl. Cooking together is not only fun, it is a great way to grow her vocabulary through Talk, Sing and Point!
By Lizzy Tahsuda
