How Baking Cookies Builds Executive Function Skills in Children

Executive functions are the brain’s higher level cognitive control processes. They are responsible for our ability to plan, initiate, persist, regulate, differentiate, and adapt. These skills develop throughout childhood and enable a person to manage actions in alignment with their goals.

What’s the connection between baking cookies and executive functioning, you ask?

Neta Chai Ezra, Director of Occupational Therapy at the Child Development Institute of Maccabi Healthcare Services, explains that when we bake cookies, we are required to plan ahead, create a list of ingredients, prepare them in advance, remember the steps of the recipe and follow them, and organize a clean and efficient workspace. During the process, we also check that nothing has been forgotten.

All of these actions are examples of cognitive skills we use, often without even realizing it.

A Skill for Everyday Life

Executive functions are not only for managers. They are essential for everyone in order to function effectively in daily life.

“We are constantly required to respond adaptively to changes around us, to plan, organize, and act accordingly,” says Chai Ezra. “Children with attention difficulties often struggle with executive functioning.”

As adults, we tend to act automatically, relying on strategies we have already developed. But for children, these systems are still developing, often until adulthood. That is why some children may find it difficult to bake cookies, as the task requires planning, memory, and organization.

How Parents Can Help Develop These Skills

As parents, we can help our children strengthen their cognitive abilities by baking hamantaschen or any cookies together, using the following steps:

First, read through the list of ingredients together and review the steps of the recipe in advance. Then gather the ingredients and mark a check next to each one placed on the counter. This helps practice planning.

Next, begin preparing the recipe and check off each step as it is completed. When finished, review together to ensure everything was done correctly. This strengthens monitoring and self checking skills.

If an ingredient is missing, decide together on a suitable substitute. This helps develop cognitive flexibility, a small skill that can support children in many other tasks at school and at home.

In summary, through practice and support, we can improve our children’s executive functioning skills. This enables them to handle challenges and tasks more effectively in everyday life.