I think we all struggle with trying to include our kids in the kitchen, or knowing what tasks are age appropriate. Sometimes it is just easier and faster if they don’t help out. However as parents we are doing a disservice to them and ourselves by excluding our children from the kitchen. It is a good idea for them to get involved in the kitchen as there are many skills for them to learn. Plus as an added bonus as they get more skillful it can be a great help to delegate some of the cooking to them. I have always said I wanted to teach my children the skills to thrive as adults and being able to feed yourself is just one part of that. Cooking together is also a great way to spend some quality time together and learn some of the likes and dislikes of your children.
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Chicken Fajita Skillet with Nachos
Curry Chicken Basmati Rice Pilaf
How do you get you get your kids involved in the Kitchen?
Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Uncle Ben’s. All opinions are strictly my own.
I start with baking simple things like cookies.
If I had kids I would get them involved by measuring ingredients and mixing.
When i get my kids involved I like to put on some music and make it fun!
I try to get my nieces/nephews involved by getting them to help read the recipe, measure, add ingredients and stir.
My kids like to help stir when I bake, and they like to help get ingredients and pick out things to help with dinner (such as what vegetable we’re having etc)
My kids were in the kitchen with me as soon as they could hold a wooden spoon! We would make everything with them, but I think the very first thing they mixed up were pancakes!
baking cookies and wearing our matching aprons! we love baking together
I bought a waffle maker. Now they are staring to like to cook
I have my son do a lot of the measuring for me. We use cooking as a tool for learning math so it works out really well.
Easy to get my kids to help in the kitchen I just have to ask. They love it!! 🙂
The grandchildren love to help out when I am baking. I get them to add the ingredients as I need them,
I’ve been teaching my son and daughter to cook over the last year, I start them off with small tasks and work our way up 🙂 My daughter can make a mean egg sandwich hehe
I get the kids to help me get ingredients or stir
being a professional chef i think my son was hatched in the kitchen lol he has been in there since birth. i stared when he was old enoughto bang spoons stiring mixes and then cracking eggs. make a game of it cooking is fun and a great life skill
they like preparing food themselves
I let them clean up
I get them to help with the measuring and pouring.
I get them involved by letting them help measure and stir.
My daughter really loves helping in the kitchen when she’s the one who gets to plan the menu!
Unfortunately, not one of my 7 was in the slightest interested in joining in 🙁 Now that they’re all adults 2 of the boys are really good cooks – now how did that happen?
My daughter love to bake with me. She does all the measuring and now she holds the hand mixer for me.
I let my son help me measure
My little guy is still to young. He is only 19 months. So for example when I am making grilled cheese I will give him a kids plastic knife or a play one nd ask him to butter bread. Or if I am making cookies I will put some flour and water in his own bowl and get him to mix it
They help me when I bake, and I also give them simple tasks like washing the veggies.
My kids like to add the ingredients mostly when it comes to making dessert. Something they enjoy can get them in the kitchen.
I get them to help with the measuring, stirring and pouring and they LOVE it =)
I find if I let my kids help pick out groceries, than they are more interested in helping in the kitchen!
I get them to help wash and peel.
They help out by adding the ingredients.
I have my grandchildren help when I cook. Pouring in ingredients, stirring, peeling and shredding cheese are some of the kitchen chores they do. The older two are learning to cut up things now. The younger ones enjoy setting the table and unloading parts of the dishwasher. Encouraging them helps to keep them interested and motivated.
They have their own fun ustensils.
I get them involved by encouraging them to pick out new recipes to try.
Start letting them help in the kichen from an early age.
I let my niece and nephew make the choice for lunch or dinner and then they love to help
I let the kids crack eggs and let them stir!
Measure ingredients and stir the batter
Everyone gets a chore according to their age and ability. I also praise them for the work they are doing
They help pick the recipe and gather all the ingredients required
I let my son measure pour and mix the ingredients to get him involved. He enjoys doing it, and I like the help (even if it results in a bit more of a mess)
They love to help out so it’s not hard to get them involved. As long as the task doesn’t involve a sharp knife, we let them help. Things get a little messy but it’s the only way to learn.
Besos, Sarah
Journeys of The Zoo
I let them help…what they do depends on their age, but even the youngest can ice cookies
I get them to help with chopping and mixing
I bring my grandson in to help make his favorite cookies.
Give them a few recipe options and let them choose.
I don’t do anything really, my oldest wants to help all the time 🙂
Let them help mix & measure & help with clean up!
I get Sophie to help by passing me the ingredients, measuring, washing vegetables, and setting the table. When I bake she gets to stir and add ingredients. She’s really good at cracking eggs for a 5year old.
Neat! My 3 year old helps with salad and baking.
I try to give the kids lots of support and encouragement to help out in the kitchen.I just assign the simplest of jobs to the little ones ,like stirring or adding chocolate chips etc.I love when they help me because they are so cheerful to work with.
My son grabs ingredients from the fridge and pantry and he helps mix and stir
i let them help me prep
They set the table, help make cookies, prep food.
Let them decide on meal planning
I let them cut and sitr in ingredients
Try to make things fun for them,and let them pick out some things they would like to make themselves.
My grandson sits up on the counter and gets involved by adding ingredients and stirring when prompted, He loves to get involved in all aspects of cooking & baking, especially the taste testing part!
Get them to help make healthy dishes that are appealing to their appetites, & give them some creative control in the process.
They have fun measuring and mixing and when they get older then they can use the knife and start chopping veggies and what not!!
My daughter is 6 and loves to help in the kitchen. Lately we’ve been watching Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Canada. She makes up her own recipes for smoothies. She decides what fresh or frozen fruit to use, washes it if necessary, and peels bananas. She can add ice, yogurt, cinnamon, honey. She’s recently started adding nuts “for protein Mom” and sometimes candies. She sets the table and helps clear it, will sometimes pretend to do the dishes. She helps a little at the stove but with constant supervision, mostly measuring or adding to the pot. We like to make veggie soups!
I get the kiddo involved in the kitchen by making it fun and letting them make some of the choices.
They love to help making muffin , and to give Me stuff that I need for my dishes 🙂
Have them help prep food and ask for their input into how to prepare a meal.
I let them mix and help out with the ingredients and the prep work.
I let them slice some stuff and stir the food on the stove.
an interest in food is important and we also like to show where it all comes from
I let them do simple things, such as washing the vegetables.
I get the kids to help wash the veggies and measure!
I have my best friends little ones help by giving them easy jobs like shredding cheese
I let them do simple things in the kitchen,like helping to gather ingredients and washing veggies
Adding ingredients to the bowl.
I let my granddaughter use cookie cutters.
they help with meal planning (especially lunches) and help with the shopping. thanks
I get them to fetch and add ingredients.
measure and add ingredients, stir and mix.
By helping to get ingredients together, measuring them. Stirring.
I invite them to help me out in making small baking goods such as cookies, muffins in order to get them interested to help out in other cooking projects
They help plan meals and do some of the dinner prep work!
Ask them to help prep dinner for special occasions!
My kids are always in the kitchen. They have certain jobs they have to do and then there are the fun things like making cookies.
I have a learning tower always pushed up to the counter and we try to bake one thing a week together even though she is 2.5
We like to pick out new recipes from books or on line and then try them in the kitchen. The kids also like to watch other kids cooking on you tube to find inspiration for their own creations.
My 3 year old daughter cooks dinner with me almost every time and she loves to bake too. As soon as she hears me in the kitchen she comes running. She does things like adding spices/herbs to sauces/soups/etc, putting vegetables in pots, and getting things out of the cupboards and fridge. She can do a lot of the making of cookies (measuring, dumping, mixing) pretty well now since she’s pretty much always done it with me. My 5 year old has no interest in cooking but she likes to chop up the veggies. My 7 year old has a few things she can make mostly on her own and she cooks with me a couple times a week. She thinks it’s great to get that time with me. She likes to make things like sushi, double stuffed baked potatoes and soups.
I involved my kids in shopping and meal prep from early on such that it is second nature for them now to help out in the kitchen
helping out with making pizzas is a great way. Then we try out eachothers recipe.
My kids all loved doing prep for a big meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas.My son loved to spend time in the kitchen so much he became a chef!
They’re always eager to help measure, stir and grate ingredients. Taste testing is popular too 😉
Their still small so we let them help with baking, putting ingredients into the bowl etc.
We watch a lot of cooking shows and I get magzine with great recipes that they really WANT to try out! So much fun to watch them experiment and learn!
By shopping together, menu planning together and by including them in the actual prep and cooking.
Using the cookie cutter, stirring and food runner
Grab utensils and adding ingredients.
start with baking cookies.
by letting them add the ingredients that I have measured out
once a week my son decides what we will have for supper and he assists in making it
I make sure my son gets to do little tasks, I just make sure I find safe ones for him to do, and I try not to fuss over little spills.
Measuring and stirring
my 5yo daughter loves to help us measure and pour ingredients; my 12yo son loves to cook by himself – he makes yummy meatballs and omelettes 🙂
I forego my “need” for perfection, and neat-freakiness, and put on my “patience” hat. And allow us all to have fun! Cooking should be a joy, not just the eating part!! :o)
Mixing, pouring and cutting are on my son’s list of contributions!
She helps with baking, pouring out ingredients, cleaning up, etc
My son is still too young to help in the kitchen but he likes to watch and loves to eat whatever fun things I make!
My daughter is a better cook than I am! And LOVES any dish made with rice!
I have always encouraged her to cook with me – and she does!
My girl is always wanting to help out in the kitchen…..hope she keeps it up 🙂
My kids love making cupcakes and decorating them
My boys used to love to make cookies.
It would be a messy kitchen, but fun was had.
Great, swag prize too. Uncle, Ben’s is a family
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They have their own set of small mixing bowls and a few ingredients to do with what they will.
I like getting the kids involved in preparing. They like when they get to munch on the food they are preparing like carrots.
start them with doing little things at first, with them watching until they are ready for more responsibility
When I am baking I just turn on the electric mixer and the kids come running for a turn at holding it.
They get to help with making dinner and menu selection upon occasion.
I get my kids to help with the meal plan. They are excited to hlep prepare meals when they had a say in what we are making
I ask my daughter’s thoughts on what to eat and what to buy at grocery store. She loves to help prepare the food with me.
i like having them involved with picking out a recipe, making sure we have the ingredients, any shopping, preparing and cleaning up
I have had them helping since they were little. Now they are young teens and have had some home economics classes at school. We phone them when we are leaving work and suggest they start making a salad or start a meat dish then when we get home supper is on the table much faster if we can quickly add the side dishes
They like to play restaurant when they help in the kitchen, which makes it really fun for them!
We like to all get involved and cook together for Sunday dinner 🙂 Thanks for the chance.
I have them help me bake! They also help with minor tasks like mixing, and plating.
I let her help me make breakfast.
By having a variety of foods to chose from.
By letting them help with the prep work for all meals.
By letting them try new things and letting them know that not having a recipe turn out is not the end of the world.
I get my kids to help out by mixing and cutting veggies
Mine are 4 and 8. They set and clear the table, gather ingredients, older one is learning to follow baking recipes, prepping veggies etc.. They only thing I don’t have them do yet is put in and remove things from the oven.
MY granddaughter loves helping in the kitchen, she’s 3 and her favourite is to add the ingredient, mix and especially cleaning dishes.
My kids help out in any food prep and baking I do in the house, that way they can be apart of the meal prep and excited about dinner or dessert. I want them to have fun while learning 🙂
They help with prep, table set up, and clean up
I get the kids involved in the kitchen by showing them YouTube videos about cooking and they seem to like the FoodTV channel so they at least peak interest and they get to suggest the next meal/dinner/treat.
My kids love to help out in the kitchen by helping me measure and stir the ingredients. They will also set the table.
My 4yr old cooks dinner once a week (under supervision). This week she made sweet and sour meatballs on rice.
Making it a fun exercise! Rolling dough to upbeat music, etc.
Let them stir
We let our son stand on a chair and help put ingredients in a bowl, stir and wash in the sink!
I have 4 boys and they love to get messy in the kitchen I try not to stress when it looks like a bomb has gone off that is how I encourage them !
They get to help and decide what they want.
I of course start with things like helping with baking, easy for them to measure, scoop out dough etc. Then move onto things like helping make scrambled eggs and then full meals when old enough. Helping to make pizza is a great activity too.
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I let them help in the kitchen by letting them do age appropriate activitys