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I started cooking with Emily out of need more than desire. When you have a toddler it’s sometimes hard to get anything done, let alone prepare a healthy meal, so the only way for me to win the battle of having time to cook was to involve my toddler and keep her busy. This actually has made her appetite a very healthy one, apparently if she helps make the meal, it tastes so much better, and food that was once "yucky" is now so delicious since she made it with her own two hands. Below, I’ve compiled a list of basic tips for cooking with kids. Remember, every child is at a different level, so watch your child and experiment and see what level of cooking you feel they are ready for. And most importantly be safe.

First and Foremost is the cute outfit and utensils for kids. We brought a set for 4.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond that had an apron; child sized cooking utensils, and even pans that you can actually put into the oven. After finding this we topped it off with a dollar store chef hat and we were ready to go. Obviously this is not a must, we were cooking long before we found this set, but the kid sized utensils do help a lot.

Children under 3

Every child is diferent but here are some activities I have done with young toddlers.

Special Tip To make it easier for your toddler to reach the cooking area, I have always used a kitchen chair as their table, or if you have a toddler sized table that would work as well.

Breakfast

  • Toddlers love making funny faces on pancakes with fruit, chocolate chips, or painting with jams
  • Spreading jams or peanut butter with a child safe plastic knife onto toast
  • Pouring syrup from a little serving dish onto their waffles or pancakes is always fun, and for special days shaking powdered sugar on top. Special tip- It’s easier to give your toddlers a small portion to pour or shake onto their food, without letting them see the big container, if they are not yet old enough to understand that they can only do a limited amount.
  • Oatmeal- Toddlers can pour the package into the bowl-if you are microwaving-they can pour the cold water/milk into the bowl as well.
  • Fruit- It is always fun and healthy to mix fruit into oatmeal and cereal
  • Cereal- My toddler was very independent so she has always dumped the cereal into the bowl and poured the milk in from the age of 1.
  • Breaking eggs and mixing with a child sized whisk, if they are old enough to not touch their face before washing their hands.

Lunch

  • Pizza can be fun and healthy with the right ingredients and toddlers love to make them.
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches- Toddlers can spread, and then cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters. Also this is a good way to learn shapes, and counting at a young age.
  • Any type of sandwich is fun to build
  • Salads- Kids love helping to clean the veggies, tear them up, pouring dressing on, and then mixing it all up.
  • Veggies- you can cut cucumbers into fun shapes with cookie cutters. Also, you can give your child other veggies including carrot slices, and they can make faces with these.

Dinner

  • Shucking corn
  • Mashed Potatoes- Pouring in all of the ingredients and helping mix them
  • Vegetables/ Vegetable Medley- Asparagus- toddler’s love tearing things, so breaking the asparagus up is sure to be fun, lettuce would work as well. With a vegetable Medley I start with asparagus since I can rinse it and give my toddler a bowl of it to break while I start on preparing and cutting the other vegetables, by the time she’s done with the asparagus I am ready to fill her bowl with another vegetable to dump into the pot (which we have sitting on a chair far away from the stove and area where I am cutting) After adding all of the veggies you can let them add the cold water before boiling.

Desert

  • Pretty much all baking and deserts include measuring, so in order to include a young toddler I pre-measure everything and put the ingredients into separate bowls so my toddler can be the one to pour them into the mixing bowl, before mixing together. After they are done baking it is fun to decorate with icing, sprinkles, fruit and whatever else you can imagine. Toddlers can also crush cookies with a rolling pin for a yummy desert topping. For more fun you can add color to your cakes, icings, and puddings with food dye. (Also filling ice cream cones with cake mix and making ice cream cone cupcakes is always sure to be a hit-Emmy and I have used waffle bowls the same way, and then you could top it with ice cream and toppings)
  • If you still are not able to get done cooking and need a fun activity for your toddler you can always add some safe ingredients together for them to play with while you are cooking. See more of this idea under the Indoor Games Section of the website.

Children 3-6

By the age of three usually children will be able to sit still and follow directions a little better than the younger toddler. This allows for fun in the kitchen. Here are a few kitchen skills you may want to work on with your child.

  • First you can start with a shopping list and draw pictures of what you will need to make food shopping more fun
  • You can also pick fresh fruit and veggies from a local farm and teach your child how they grow.
  • Children this old can help to put away the groceries so when it’s time to cook they know where to find the ingredients, and they can retrieve them “all by themselves”
  • Practicing Measuring, they can start by measuring water in the tub so they are ready in the kitchen.
  • Breaking eggs, and scrambling in ingredients (in a bowl, away from the stove)
  • Peeling Fruit
  • Sifting Flour
  • Rolling Dough
  • Breading eggplant (meat if you feel safe with them following instructions on washing hands)
  • Greasing pans with a cube of butter
  • Put ingredients into unheated pots (sauces, dry noodles, veggies, fruits…)
  • Help use a few pieces of safe kitchen equipment, such as a plastic potato masher, and loading the mixer with your help.
  • Cookie dough- rolling, scooping, adding chips, what more perfect fit is there than cookies and kids
  • Making recipes that do not require baking, such as Jell-O, cheesecake, pudding...

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY they can help to clean up. Hey, if they’re big enough to help make the mess in the kitchen, they are certainly big enough to clean up.

Children 7+

By this age, your child you were previously trying to distract so you could get the real cooking done is now able to be a big help in the kitchen.

Here are a few ideas for the older child in the kitchen;

  • Let them read the recipes and labels and be the head chef and instruct you on what to do.
  • Let them practice math skills by measuring and counting out the ingredients
  • If you are comfortable and fee it’s safe they could practice cutting with a safe knife
  • Prep all veggies from start to finish now that they can reach the sink on their own
  • Use appliances, with supervision, the microwave would be a safe start, along with small kitchen appliances

Most of all, be safe, and read what your child is ready for. Remember to not let your children near the stove and to supervise continuously. This site is meant simply for ideas so you as the parent please be the judge of what your child is ready for and how to be safe.