Some of my fondest childhood memories are cooking in the kitchen with my grandmother. The earliest memory I have is standing on a kitchen chair, pulled up to the counter so that I could reach the mixing bowl. I’d crack the eggs into the batter and grandma was so patient with me as she picked the tiny pieces of eggshell out, one by one. She is person who helped develop my love for cooking. When I reminisce on these special moments, I feel nothing pure joy and warmth in my heart. I can almost smell the homemade cupcakes baking in the oven! This is what I want for my children. I want them to be able to look back on their childhood and feel good about it. I want to create special moments with them and teach them the art of cooking.
Teaching kids to cook has numerous benefits such as boosting self-confidence, helping them become adventurous eaters, and brings you closer together as a family by fostering dinner hour. Studies suggest that eating together as a family often, is a key practice to our children’s future. When you sit down and eat together as a family, kids benefit in more ways than one. It can improve academic performance, strengthens family bond, and can model positive eating behaviors.

“We want our children to be confident, able bodied, successful people when they grow up. We want them to know how to cook for themselves, where their meals come from, and what kind of work and preparation goes into said meals!” – homeschoolon.com
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Cooking is a basic life skill that everyone should know how to do and you can start at a very early age!
Age 2-4
- Washing hands with supervision
- Retrieving lightweight items from fridge and pantry
- Open small boxes and packages
- Pour contents into bowl
- Stirring contents in mixing bowl
- Washing produce with supervision
- Season food with supervision
Age 5-7
- All skills mentioned above
- Using can opener with supervision
- Stir contents in pot with supervision
- Coating raw meat with breading and thoroughly washing hands afterwards
- Safely using scissors to open plastic packages
- Season food with little supervision

Age 8-12
- All skills mentioned above
- Start learning how to use a kitchen knife safely and with supervision
- Learn to cook meat properly and thoroughly to prevent food borne illness
- Know when pasta is al dente
- Properly measure ingredients
- Read cooking instructions
- Safely remove dish from oven with supervision
Age 13+
- All skills mentioned above
- At this age, depending on maturity level, children should be given the opportunity to prepare an easy family meal independently, but with a parent near by in case of emergencies
Easy Meal & Snack Ideas for Kids to Prepare!
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Pancakes and Scrambled Eggs
- Smoothies
- Tuna Salad Sandwiches
- Chicken Salad
- Dips, such as Hummus and Guacamole
- Simple Veggie Stir-Fry
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Pizza
- Cupcakes
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Tacos
- Sub Sandwiches
- Oatmeal with berries and chopped nuts
- Cheeseburgers
- Hot Dogs
- Baked Chicken and Veggies
- Loaded Baked Potatoes
- Cheese Quesadillas
- Salad
Make it Fun!
Cooking with children can be messy and chaotic at times. It is important to allow them to practice without being rushed. We like to do it on the weekend, as week nights can be a bit hectic. Always remember to be patient and encouraging as they are learning to navigate their way through the kitchen!
Make a Meal Chart:
In our house, we make a meal chart every month. I write down different meal ideas for my kiddos to choose from. This gives them a sense of independence and ownership and makes them even more excited to cook!
Let them shop for the ingredients:
Before heading to the store, sit down with your child and make a shopping list of everything they will need to cook their meal. This will teach them to be organized and they will feel so big and grown up while putting items in the grocery basket! This is also a great way to teach them the value of a dollar.

Buy some cookbooks and other items to make it fun:
My six year old daughter absolutely adores cook books! She loves flipping through the pages to get ideas. This will teach them to be creative and to push themselves into making something a little more challenging!




There are so many ways you can make cooking fun! Some kids absolutely love it! But some, like my son, don’t care too much for it. It is important to be consistent and keep the mood in the kitchen lighthearted for all involved! Any kid can learn to love cooking and will benefit from it substantially!
That’s a wrap! Do you cook with your child?
22 Comments
Love this! What a great way to teach and bond with your kids.
Thanks so much, Ro! You're right, it's a fantastic way to bond with them!
I have some of my students a baking lesson and they were so entertained that they filmed the whole process!
That's wonderful, Kez! π thanks so much for commenting!
Such a great article! My kids love to cook and help me! I love the idea of letting them get the ingredients from the grocery store, Iβm sure they become a lot more engaged and interested in what they are actually helping you make!
Absolutely! Letting them make a grocery list and find the items in the store is so helpful. My kids absolutely love it and feel so grown up! Thanks for your sweet comment β€
Such helpful info! I love the way you broke it down by age and built the skills top of each other!
So glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks so much for commenting π
Great break down of the abilities! Fun post to read and loved the images!
Jessie
www.theramblingraccoon.com
Good advice on ways to get kids involved in food preparation! I was never asked to take part in making meals, and this is likely why, to this day, I have zero interest in cooking. I would rather let someone else take care of food preparation.
This may be true! Cooking as a child and learning to be competent in food preparation increases the likelihood of being a confident cook as an adult! Thanks for commenting π
This is a awesome post! I used to cook with my children for the express purpose of expanding the palate! Itβs quality time together and you end up with something not only nurturing but enjoyable. So imspirational, thank you for sharing!
Great article. My daughter (2) and I love to cook and bake together.
My aunt is one of them best cook. She does a great job. My cousin sister ( her daughter ) is a replica of her. She loves baking cupcakes just like my aunt and she does a great job too.
I think it all depends on a mother's support for it. Some parents never let their kid in to the kitchen cause of the mess. Kids do not learn without a little bit of mess and mistakes.
Yes!! You're so right!
I don't have kids, but look forward to having them so I can do things like this! Start them young (:
You got it! Thanks for commenting π
Such great ideas! Definitely going to do more cooking with my kids - my eldest really struggles with Math. I think this could really help :)
http://confessions-of-a-travel-addict.com/
I love getting my girls involved in the kitchen when it's not a rushed meal. My oldest daughter (8) can make grilled cheese and soup with very minimal assistance and she is always wanting to try new things on her own. They grow up so fast! Our twins are still on the gathering and washing and mixing stage. But before I know it they will be flipping pancakes too! Love seeing it broken down into age groups suggestions great info!
That's so awesome, Jenn! I bet your kiddos love cooking with mama!
I love the way you break this down by age appropriate tasks! It's so important to teach kids how to cook. There are way too many young adults living off ramen noodles because no one took the time to teach them to make a nutritious meal.
Haha yes! You're so right! When kids are taught how to cook nutritious meals, they will more than likely take that into adulthood!
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