It’s true that including the kids in cooking meals requires time, patience, and some extra clean-up, especially when you’re working with small children. But many experts think it is well worth the effort, not only does this help their self esteem (Mom/Dad wants to cook with me!, Look what I made!), but it can even help with their reading (practice reading the labels, short recipes, etc) and math (count tablespoons, cups, etc).

It can also help to get them to actually eat the food you want them to eat, by being involved in the preparation process it is likelier they will eat what is being served, which will instill in them the habit of favoring healthier meals over junk food.

My daughter is still too young to cook with me, but what I find most appealing about the whole idea is the sense of accomplishment I think they can achieve with the whole process, such as making a cake for Dad’s birthday together. Also, cooking is a skill that we all could use, so by teaching them at a young age you will be giving them the tools to use for the rest of their lives.

But how do I get started?, You may ask yourself.  Here are a few ideas that you can use depending on your children’s age. Of course, always use common sense and keep an eye on them all the time. Don’t let them use sharp knives, or handle a pot will hot food or liquid.  At first, and when they are younger, work on recipes that don’t require stove top time.  It’s better to work with baking recipes, you just have to open and close the oven door once. If you do work on recipes that use the stove top, it is your responsibility to keep pan and pot handles turned away from the edge of the stove to avoid easy reach from the little ones.  You have to be in control at all times.

Activities kids can help with in the Kitchen:

Under 5 years old:

  • Scrub, dip, tear, break, and snap (for example, snapping the ends off green beans)
  • Shake, spread, and cut with a cookie or biscuit cutter
  • Peel (some items), roll, juice, and mash
  • Remove husks from corn
  • Wash vegetables in a colander
  • Measure and pour some ingredients
  • Hand mix

8-10 years olds: Everything listed above, plus some more advanced duties, such as:

  • Cracking and separating eggs
  • Reading some recipes by themselves
  • Inventing their own easy-to-fix recipes
  • Using the electric mixer (with adult supervision if needed)
  • Stirring food over the stove (with adult supervision)
  • Operating a can opener or food processor with safety features
  • Grating cheese (with adult supervision)

I found a few recipes that kids can cook under the supervision of their parents, I asked my niece Anneke to come to my apartment so we could try them out. Although we did cook together, you will not see me in any of the pictures because my official photographer (my husband) fled the scene. We scheduled our cooking afternoon during the world cup finals…. My bad.  Germany had already lost to Spain, so I was in no mood to watch them play for 3rdplace.  Anneke still had her fingernails painted with Germany’s colors!

We hope you will try these recipes with your kids, and we would love to hear about your experiences with it!

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