I know having your child in the kitchen isn’t always the quickest or least stressful way to get food on the table, but cooking with kids is a great way to teach them about food and nutrition.  You can start early on when your child is a baby and gradually introduce tasks as they grow older.  Try to be patient and roll with the spills and mistakes because that is how they learn. And before you know it, they’ll be old enough to be a really good helper!  Most importantly, it’s a great opportunity for quality time that you and your child will never forget.

What Are the Benefits of Cooking With Kids?

Cooking with your child can…

• Increase the likelihood of trying new foods (because kids like to taste what they cook!) 
• Build healthy eating habits
• Teach cooking and safe food handling skills 
• Boost self confidence 
• Further develop math, reading, science and fine motor skills 
• Increase quality time and create fun, memorable experiences together 

Rules To Set Prior to Cooking 

• Wash hands thoroughly for 20 seconds before touching any food 
• Tie long hair back 
• No licking raw ingredients 
• No licking fingers while cooking

Cooking Tasks by Age

This will give you an idea of how your child can get involved in the kitchen at each age and gradually advance through tasks.  But you know your child best, so you be the judge of what is safe and what is not safe for them.  Start small and advance based on how they are doing.  All of these tasks should be supervised by an adult, especially for babies up to 13 years.

6 to 18 Months Old

• Let them observe and encourage their curiosity! 
• Set them up in a highchair, pack and play or bouncer and give them some safe cooking utensils to play with like a wooden spoon, spatula, whisk, plastic bowls, tongs, measuring cups and spoons. 
• Show and tell them what you are doing to help them learn new words and what they mean. Example: This is how we “mix”, “stir”, “chop,” “peel,” etc.  
• You can let them feel the ingredients (but nothing raw or harmful of course) and describe the texture using words like “smooth”, “rough”, “soft”, “squishy”, “creamy”, ect. 

When my daughter was a baby, even less than 6 months old, I would buckle her up in a reclined seat in the kitchen, and I would dance around talking and singing to her while I cooked. I like to think this gave her the idea that cooking is fun and exciting (she was probably thinking “my mom is crazy”), but hey, “sometimes to stay sane, you need to go a little crazy.”  I don’t know who said that, but ain’t it the truth!? 

18 Months to 3 Years Old

Little ones may be able to do some of these tasks around 18 months, but likely closer to 2 years old.  This age group is very curious and they want to do things on their own, so however you can set them up with safe, supervised tasks that lets them explore and feel accomplished is wonderful.   

• Wipe off tabletops 
• Wash fresh fruits and vegetables 
• Peel a banana 
• Pour dry and liquid ingredients 
• Stir batter in a bowl 
• Sprinkle cinnamon or chia seeds onto food
• Tear spinach or lettuce
• Break up cauliflower or broccoli into pieces 
• Carry ingredients from one place to another 
• Shake liquids in a covered, well sealed container 
• Help with other kitchen chores like putting safe dishes and silverware in the dishwasher, putting things in the trash can and holding the dust pan

4 to 5 Years Old  

Four and five year olds are eager to learn and like to ask lots of questions, so cooking will be very exciting for them.  They also have a greater attention span to work on their skills and absorb some simple facts about food and nutrition.  Also, hand and finger skills are improving at this age, so they may have more coordination with certain tasks.  They may be able to help with the following tasks.  

• Measure and level dry ingredients with a straight edge 
• Apply soft spreads and jam 
• Peel oranges and cooled hard boiled eggs 
• Mash bananas or cooked beans with a fork 
• Cut soft foods with a plastic knife or non-sharp knife 
• Cut herbs or green onions with kid-safe scissors 
• Knead and shape dough 
• Grease a pan 
• Whisk a vinaigrette 
• Set a timer 
• Set the table 
• Garnish food with fresh herbs 

6 to 9 Years Old

Kids at this age are able to read or they’re learning how to, so it’s a great time to start reading recipes and planning meals together.  Not only will they practice reading, but also how to follow directions.  This age group will want some space to be independent and creative, but of course they still need your guidance and supervision.  They will probably be excited to help with many different types of recipes, from breakfast to dessert. 

• Use a small paring knife (with supervision) 
• Peel raw fruits and vegetables 
• Shuck corn on the cob 
• Scrape the mixing bowl 
• Scoop batter into muffin cups 
• Crack eggs
• Whisk ingredients 
• Use specialized hand tools like a can opener, garlic press or lemon juicer  
• Pound chicken on a cutting board 
• Grate cheese with a box grater 
• Drain and slice tofu 
• Thread food onto skewers 
• Form patties 
• Toss salad with tongs 
• Cook with you at the stove 
• Set the table 
• Help put groceries away 
• Help load and unload the dishwasher

9 to 12 Years Old

This is your sous chef.  They still need your supervision, but kids at this age can be a big help! 

• Chop and slice fruits and vegetables (with supervision) 
• Boil pasta 
• Use a microwave oven 
• Use a blender, food processor or stand mixer 
• Use specialty appliances such as a waffle maker or panini press 
• Help putting foods in the oven and removing them 
• Use thermometer to check food temperature 
• Prepare simple recipes with few ingredients

13 Years and Older

Teenagers are ready to take on higher level tasks and more responsibility. The goal is to get them prepared with skills that they can carry on into adulthood.  They will be more and more independent in the kitchen as they grow older. 

• Use all kitchen appliances 
• Further develop knife skills to efficiently chop, dice and mince  
• Prepare recipes with multiple ingredients 
• Prepare recipes independently

• Banana-Spinach Pancake Pizza｜ “No Sugar Still Sweet” recipe eBook 
  • This recipe is so much fun for kids because they can help top the pancake “pizza” with fresh fruit. It’s packed with nutrition from whole food ingredients like spinach and whole wheat flour. And it’s only sweetened naturally with bananas. My toddler and I give it a thumbs up! I recommend purchasing “No Sugar Still Sweet” from Mama Knows Nutrition (click here).  I’ve been quarantine baking my way through it, and we have liked many recipes in it so far like Apple Pie Breakfast Cookies, Banana Oat Trail Mix Bars and Whole Wheat Banana Muffins. 
• Guacamole｜Super Healthy Kids 
• Baked Plantain Chips｜Downshiftology
• “Starter” Green Smoothie For Kids｜Real Mom Nutrition 
• Healthy Apple Crisp Yogurt Parfait｜The Seasoned Mom 
• Make-Your-Own Trail Mix Bags – Put out items like whole grain cereal, chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit and dark chocolate chips, and let your child make their own personalized trail mix snack. 
• 3 Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies｜Listotic
• Turkey Panini Recipe With Apple, Cheddar & Arugula｜Cooking Canuck
• Veggie Roll-Ups｜A Whole Lotta Oven
• English Muffin Pizza｜Well Plated by Erin (I share her enthusiasm for English Muffin Pizza. It’s a childhood favorite for me!) 
• Whole Wheat Strawberry Muffins｜Super Healthy Kids 
• Easy Breakfast Tacos ｜Gimme Some Oven

What do you like to make with your kids?!  If you cook with your kids and have seen the benefits, share your experience below! I would love to hear from you.

Sources:

Bold, Cambria. “How Young Kids Can Help in the Kitchen: A List of Activities by Age.” Kitchn, 13 Aug. 2013, www.thekitchn.com/how-young-kids-can-help-in-the-kitchen-a-list-of-activities-by-age-222692.

“Cooking Skills by Age.” Snackworks, www.snackworks.com/articles/cooking-skills-by-age.

“Cooking with Kids.” EatRight, www.eatright.org/food/planning-and-prep/cooking-tips-and-trends/cooking-with-kids.

“Getting Kids in the Kitchen.” National Institutes of Health, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/downloads/cookwithchildren.pdf.