Kids Cooking Tips

Here are 7 kids cooking tips and ideas on getting kids interested in working in the kitchen.
Kids usually have a genuine interest in baking and creating in the kitchen. It is an activity that sparks their creativity and a desire to want to learn more.
If you can nurture their interest it will grow and kids will learn not only an important life skill but how to eat healthy.

Kids Cooking Activities Teaching Materials

Make teaching easier with our activities and recipes compiled in theme sets and books with an easy to read format

Perfect for teaching!

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Cooking with Kids Tips

Give kids room to experiment and try new recipes. Don't confuse this with a lack of supervision, however. As a mom and a teacher I've had to fight the urge to say, "Here let me crack that egg for you" or for older children, letting them cut vegetables themselves. Parents and teachers are more apt to step in and help. We need to be nearby to help, however we also need to give them room and not take over the work. Often we tend to take over because it will be faster but resist the urge to take control. Children learn by doing hands on experiences even if it involves spills and messes.

Let children pick recipes they'd like to try. Usually kids favorites are dessert recipes but also include lunches, breakfast, snacks and dinner in their learning to cook adventures. If they aren't interested at first, involve them in appropriate tasks. Soon they may be ready to try and cook more. Gather cook books, browse kids-cooking-activities and let them pick out a few recipes they'd like to try. Being able to take credit for dinner, really is a big boost for a child. Even if it is simply saying, "I picked this."

Put children in charge of dinner once a month or once a week, whatever works at your house. Let them find and plan the menu with your help and prepare the meal (with your supervision) for the family. Make sure there are healthy choices in your menu plan such as vegetables included with the meal. This will help kids learn about good nutrition. If they want to have hotdogs and yogurt, what kind of recipes can you come up with to accommodate both ingredients? At the grocery store, pick out a new ingredient and make a mock game of Iron Chef of the House. Who can come up with the most creative ideas for how to use the secret ingredient in a dish?


Help children learn more about food in general. How do vegetables and fruits grow? How do you make cheese? Learning facts about the food we eat makes creating something together for lunch or snacktime more real. Check out the food facts section for help.

Getting kids interested in working in the kitchen sometimes requires making food fun. How about a theme dinner? Or center dinner around a theme they choose. Dress up, make a menu and cook the particular meal together. Making meal time and cooking can and should be a fun activity. As we get older it can become a chore but if kids get involved when they are younger, as they grow older it becomes part of a healthy life.

Ask kids to use their imagination. For instance, while wading through the jungle of broccoli trees, what kind of exotic species are they looking for? Maybe they are trying to paddle their way out of the Royal Gorge while whipping some eggs or even in a race against time crossing the tight rope of spaghetti while expecting the kitchen timer to ding at any second.

Keep it Safe Anytime a kitchen is involved, safety is always number one. You should be careful with sharp objects, stove, can opener, microwave, back oven and blender that can cause injuries if you are not careful with them. Explain this to your children before beginning and make a game out of this too. See who can safely carry the eggs from the fridge to the kitchen counter. Also, try making a safety patrol, where kids get to point out potential safety places and suggest ways to improve and prevent.

Yes, it may take a little extra planning, but teaching kids to cook is probably one of the most rewarding things a parent can do. Keeping it fun, inspiring creativity and ensuring safety are easy steps for getting kids geared up for the kitchen. So what are you waiting for? Go find the lost treasure buried somewhere in that pile of mashed potatoes.

Whether your children are young or old there are many ways to draw them into the kitchen and teach them basic cooking skills and good nutrition.

Stress Free Cooking Tips with Kids

Delegate Tasks

From the ripe ole age of four, children learn to follow direction and duplicate tasks. This is a great time to begin working with them on delegating tasks. From cutting soft vegetables, like steamed broccoli, to pealing a potato, children can take a lot of the redundant tasks off of your hands; and they will be happy to do so.

Kids love to be in the kitchen, it makes them feel important and grown up because they believe the kitchen is reserved for "big people." Giving them a few tasks to perform helps to build their confidence and begins teaching them about kitchen safety. As they get older, you will find yourself needing to do less and less as they become more comfortable around the tools and foods of the kitchen. Each of our cooking lesson levels have appropriate tasks per age.

Have Them Clean Up Afterwards

Sometimes, cooking with kids isn't stressful until it is time to clean up. This could be another delegated task, but just having them help can remove a big part of stress. Let one wipe the scraps into the trash while the other rinses the plate off to hand to you. Make cleaning up just as much fun as the cooking and it will not be a problem getting your kids to help out.

Cooking with your kids can be an extremely joyous and fun time. It takes a little thinking ahead, the right tools and a good attitude, but nothing you can't accomplish on your own. Call the little ones, give them a peeler and a task and watch as your stress levels are peeled off like that potato.

Do you have kids cooking tips you'd like to share?

Kids Cooking Lesson Plans

More Help and Resources for How to Teach Cooking

Include these pages in your teaching curriculum.
Kitchen Rules and Safety- the page includes downloads for Kitchen Safety chart and a Food Sanitation Chart.
How to start cooking classes
What do you learn in the kitchen?
Kids Cooking Lessons
Add lessons to your homeschooling
Teaching children or adults with disabilities
Teaching Life Skills
Getting Kids Interested in the Kitchen
Cooking Tips- tips and tricks for cooking with kids
6 Ideas to teach beyond the kitchen
10 Reasons for Kids To Learn to Cook
Getting Started Teaching Cooking

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