Kids Helping in the Kitchen (Tips + Ideas)

Kids Helping in the Kitchen (Tips + Ideas)

It’s never too early to get your kids involved in cooking – it’s a fun way of letting them experience new textures and tastes as well as inspiring them to use their imagination.

You’ll also find it is an amazing way to get them interested in nutrition and how eating healthily is not as boring as it seems.

Here are some tips on how you can get your kids involved in the kitchen.

1. Meal planning: Encourage your child to help plan meals for the week. Let them choose recipes they want to try or foods they enjoy eating. This will not only get them excited about cooking, but it will also teach them about nutrition and balanced meals.

2. Grocery shopping: Take your child with you to the grocery store and have them help pick out ingredients for the recipes you plan on making. This is a great way to teach them about different fruits, vegetables, and other food items.

3. Prepping ingredients: Depending on their age, kids can help wash fruits and vegetables, measure out ingredients, or even chop softer fruits like bananas or strawberries with a safe knife. While peeling potatoes and chopping carrots may seem boring to you, to a child it is the epitome of maturity and exciting fun. This is also the best time to introduce your child to newer foods they might not have liked before. 

4. Mixing and stirring: Kids love getting their hands dirty! Let them mix batter for pancakes or stir sauces on the stove (under close supervision). It’s a great way for them to learn how ingredients come together to create delicious dishes.

5. Setting the table: Teach your child how to set the table properly for mealtime. This includes placing silverware, napkins, plates, cups, and any other necessary items in their correct spots.

6. Cleaning up: Cleaning up after cooking is just as important as preparing the meal itself. Have your child help wash dishes, wipe down counters, sweep floors, or put away leftovers

Remember –

Use this as an opportunity to learn as well as have fun
Remember to keep an eye on everything the child does throughout these activities – even though they are supervised there are still the usual hazards of the kitchen. Use preparation time as an excuse to re-educate your child on the health risks of a kitchen – for example, a supervised lesson on how to use knives will allow you to demonstrate the risks and show them how to properly hold a knife to prevent injury.

Taste testing is important too!
One of the extra benefits of allowing your child to help out in the kitchen is that you can expose them to new tastes and textures that they would otherwise not eat. Bring a new ingredient or type of food every time you want to cook with your child. Allow them to touch, smell, and play with it before they begin to prepare it for cooking. This is especially beneficial in smaller children who are more eager to eat it once they’ve familiarized themselves with its smell, feel, and taste.