5 top tips for cooking with kids

I love getting my daughter involved with cooking – although yes, it does require some patience! But that said, I love that cooking teaches children so many important life skills that they will need as they grow up and can help them understand about health and nutrition.

I started getting her involved in cooking when she was about two and now she is really helpful in the kitchen. With that in mind, here are some tips for cooking with children.

Cook something they love to eat

If you start off by cooking something that they love to eat they can get really excited about it. When they are little you can get them started with baking which always goes down well. As they get older you can progress to pasta dishes, pizzas, soups, omelttes and the like. I usually save this for weekends on holidays when there is more time and you feel less rushed.

Let them use the proper equipment

Now this does have to be age appropriate but it’s important to let children use knives and other implements when cooking. I’m not saying to let them use the sharpest knife in the house but we need to teach them how to use knives properly. Kids can also handle electric whisks, graters and blenders in cooking as well so long as they learn to use them safely. We often do most of this sort of thing at the kitchen table which seems to be able to give them better control and more confidence.

Make it fun

This is so important. Cooking doesn’t need to be a chore and kids love getting involved. If you can make it into a family activity then they will really enjoy it. A family pizza making session goes down well – make the dough from scratch and let them put on their favourite toppings.

Teach proper techniques

As well as letting children use the right equipment it’s also important to teach them proper techniques. This means they can cook safely under supervision. If using the hob or the oven they need to be able to do this safely. They need to be taught basic kitchen safety like keeping aprons away from the flame, making sure pan handles point the correct way and being careful when they open the oven. It also important to teach them how to use a knife correctly and hold items when you chop them.

Encourage them to help on a daily basis

This doesn’t always have to be in preparing the meal. You can get them to help by getting the ingredients out, laying the table or clearing up afterwards. Why not incorporate this into the daily routine which is genuinely helpful.  My daughter loves to help with peeling the vegetables or encourage them to ask what else they can help with.

Getting children involved in cooking has so many benefits and I hope these tips will help you get on your way and cooking with kids!

Picture credit: Designed by Freepik

28 comments

  1. Great article! My Mum got me involved with cooking with her from a young age and it certainly helped me be more confident in the kitchen. Not sure my meals taste better because of it but that’s beside the point!

  2. Great tips! Our youngsters love all cooking, not just baking. It seem like magic to them! Now, I’ve just got to be patient and wait til they’re old enough to make my dinners 🙂

  3. This is a great post and I love the picture with the flour being thrown in the air. I let my kids start cooking from when they were toddlers. They also know that I let them lick the bowl and their dad doesn’t because of the risk of raw eggs.

  4. Although I can’t get my niece to help every day as she lives about 2 hour drive away, I would love to make food with her and can’t wait to start spending quality time together as she gets through the toddler stage 🙂

  5. Thanks for your sharing. How to teach kids to cook is a good way to help our kids develop the ability to live. I have never allowed my kids to go to the kitchen. I am afraid of knifes hurting them. But now with your sharing above I will let them cook by them-self. This is a new method to teach my kids about the real life.

  6. Great Post. We love to bake together. Mainly brownies, flapjack or cupcakes. Just started pasta dishes and curry with my older 2 girls. They love it and find it great fun. My 4yr old loves mucking in with meals peeling the skins off of the onions. Every little helps doesn’t it.

  7. make it fun, involve them through every step, explaining reasons why, then enjoy your creations together afterwards

  8. we always enjoy it – H and D have always helped from stirring the mix to now they are older helping to prepare the veggies etc. They love to help to prepare the food and then to eat it afterwards to

  9. When I was little I love baking with my mum or nan. I always got to lick the bowl out and the spoons or mixer whisks and I now do it with my grandkids.

  10. I encourage my daughter to help me with the cooking in the hope that it will make her becone more adventurous with the food she’ll try as she is extremely fussy!

  11. My son asks to bake flapjack, because I use a recipe with bananas, so he mashed banana, adds chocolate chips and is then happy with his baking experience

  12. My children love to bake however I am a helicopter parent and a little of a control freak so it makes me very anxious so I let them bake with their father

  13. I love to do cooking with the children we foster. It engages them whatever their age and they are learning so many skills = to cooperate, follow instructions, all sorts of maths, the importance of hygiene and tidying up and we enjoy eating the results together at the end of it.

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