the kitchen from mom, dad, grandparents or caregivers. Not only do kids love taking part in the preparation of their own meals, desserts and snacks but there is so much science, math and literacy going on in there as well.

Not to mention that some experience in the kitchen when children are younger may get them used to helping out in the kitchen.

When they’re a bit older it can become very useful to you, like when you have three lunches to make each day. So what are you waiting for? Get them helping.

Pointers and ideas for cooking/baking with children

Start them young with simple recipes: Playdough! This is one of our go to recipes. We make playdough monthly. The kids help by adding the ingredients, mixing and kneading the dough.

Tip: when baking with children have the ingredients out and ready so that you don’t have to leave the workspace – if you’re gone for even 10 seconds things get spilled.

Have simple but important rules for working in the kitchen together.

Always wash hands before helping with food prep (in our house they have to wash their hands for the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday);

Pay attention when using sharp tools or hot surfaces;

Follow directions;

No silliness or horsing around.

Baking recipes that they can personalize

This is always a huge hit. Cookies, cupcakes, mini pizzas, putting together yogurt parfaits, these types of recipes are exciting for little ones because they can make it their own. With recipes like mini pizzas, allowing them to choose from all your options (think healthy, have chicken, pepperoni, peppers, broccoli, spinach, olives) gives them the power to decide, however you’ve already ensured that the options are healthy ones. Win/win.

Chopping

Some parents are worried about letting their children use knives, of course it can be a safety hazard. You know your child and you should decide when it’s time to allow them to attempt to use a sharp knife. When you think they’re ready to listen to directions and follow safety rules, set them to work. Kids are more apt to enjoy a meal they had a hand in preparing. In our house, my girls cut the peppers, beans, cucumbers and broccoli (we avoid things like carrots, tomatoes, potatoes because they are harder to cut) for our meals and I use that to try and get them to eat the veggies, “Oh you’re picking out the peppers? Remember how much time you spent cutting them up, can you try one?” Sometimes, it works.

Making lunches

We want lunches eaten when sent to school. There’s nothing worse than wasted food and hungry kids. Have your rules set out before making lunches, like one dairy, one fruit, two veggies etc. Then let them go through the choices and select what they want on their lunches. Although at the start it may feel like it takes longer than doing it yourself, once they get the hang of it, it’ll become a time saver.

They will also be happy to pick the containers they use and get it ready. You can make this their nightly chore (I recommend night time lunches so that it’s not making you rush in the morning). Hopefully kids will be excited to participate in this chore, and it’s one less thing for you to do.

Weekly meal plans

This has been a lifesaver for us lately. I include our whole family (when possible) in making our weekly meal choices. Our new rule is that we try one new recipe per week. Some weeks our meals may lean more towards one child’s preference. When that happens I try to even it out the next week. I’ve noticed a lot more open mindedness when offering them new dishes with new ingredients. Sometimes they’re a win, other times they have to pick out the “hazel” (actually it was basil) and then they’ll eat dinner. All in all though, if they have some power in meal choices they are more apt to eat what you serve them.

Baking means math

Recipes are all about math. Discuss the measuring cups you need for the recipe, which two measuring cups can you use for 1/2 cup? how much do you need if you’re doubling the recipe, or halving it? You can also talk about time, how long does it take to cook, or cool, or set? All great math conversations.

Anytime we work in the kitchen we have to remember the clean up, kids can help with this too. Have them wash or dry the dishes, put ingredients away, vacuum/sweep up any spills and wipe down countertops.

Lastly, sometimes baking and cooking with kids can get messy. They may drop some flour, spill some milk and dump too many oats in the recipe. If this is something that bothers you, it may take time but try to take a deep breath and count to 10, because kids will be kids and messes will happen. Practice and patience do make all the difference.

Whatever you decide to make with your children, have fun doing it.

Register or subscribe to read this content

Thanks for stopping by! This article is available to readers who have created a free account or who subscribe to The Equity.

When you register for free with your email, you get access to a limited number of stories at no cost. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access to everything we publish—and directly support quality local journalism here in the Pontiac.

Register or Subscribe Today!