Cooking with kids of any age can be a great fun. Plus, it is a perfect activity for development of different skills.
Letting children help prepare food is always a great idea. This way, they learn where food comes from, how to prepare it (note: you’ll soon be enjoying breakfast in bed), and feel important in the household. Plus, children often think everything tastes better when they’ve helped prepare it themselves.
Cooking together offers many learning opportunities. For example, children can learn how to cut, plan, and work cleanly in the kitchen. And, of course, they can taste delicious food along the way.
Assigning age-appropriate tasks in the kitchen also teaches children responsibility and boosts their confidence and independence. Completing a recipe and creating a meal gives children a sense of achievement and joy.
Personally, I had no culinary inspiration in my family, and I couldn’t cook until my early twenties. But I noticed that my friends whose grandmothers or mothers could cook were much better at it from a young age. I try to interest my daughter of 6 in cooking. She definitely has much more interest than I had when I was her age. Here are my tips:
Make Time
First and foremost, cooking together can turn into a disaster if you’re stressed or in a hurry. Cooking with kids needs more time than cooking solo. Before suggesting this activity to your child, make sure you have enough time to do it.
Consider Your Child’s Attention Span
Depending on your child’s age and temperament, their attention span can vary greatly. It might be as short as a few minutes or as long as an hour (or more). Keep this in mind when deciding what to cook together.
Decide What to Cook Together
Cooking together will be much more enjoyable for your child if they have a say in what to make. Unless it’s something complicated, try to go with their choice. If your child has a lot of ideas, it might be helpful to limit the options. You can come up with a list of ideas in advance and let your child pick from those. This gives them the feeling that they made the choice themselves.
Another fun option is to browse a recipe book together (for children or adults) and choose a recipe. It’s fun to compare the final dish with the picture in the book!
Get Creative with Ingredients
Introduce unique or colorful ingredients like yellow carrots, purple cualiflower, or fruit-shaped cutters for sandwiches. The novelty can spark excitement.
Do the Grocery Shopping Together
Depending on your child’s age and the time you have, consider making a grocery list together and then shopping for the ingredients. Let your child help pick out the items. This will give them a sense of control and responsibility.
Remember: Children Are Capable of More Than We Think
Safety is important, but don’t overprotect your child. It’s rare for kids to get reckless with knives or scissors. That said, keep an eye on them, especially when they’re using sharp objects or are near heat sources.
Incorporate Games or Competition Elements
Turn cooking into a game by timing how long it takes to chop vegetables or letting your child “race” to assemble their sandwich the fastest.
Allow Your Child to Pack Their School Lunch Independently
I know several kids aged 6 and older who prepare their school lunches on their own daily. In the Netherlands, this typically involves very simple items like sandwiches, fruit, and raw vegetables. Allowing your child to do this teaches them independence, time management, and the sense of achievement that comes with completing a task on their own. However, it’s important not to push them if they’re not interested. Forcing this task on them could lead to a food or cooking aversion.
Cooking with Kids: Keep an Easygoing Attitude
Cooking with kids be about fun, not perfection. Leave room for jokes, food mishaps, questions, and experiments. Enjoy the process!
Give Compliments
Compliments work wonders! Children crave approval (and so do most adults). Focus on the positive, not the negative. This advice applies not just to food-related activities, but to everything in life!
Give Feedback
After you’ve enjoyed the meal you made together, ask your child how it tasted and share your own thoughts too. For example, saying “It was a great idea to add bell peppers to the pasta; let’s do that again next time!” will leave your child excited for the next time you cook together.