Fun and Tasty: 5 Steps to Teach Kids How to Cook - Tara Lets Anywhere (2024)

Learning how to cook is one of the most important life skills that you can teach your child. And children as young as 3 years old can start with easy cooking skills! Knowing how to cook can help enrich their lives in multiple ways, helping them become independent, confident, and healthy. Not to mention that it’s also a great opportunity to create family bonds by spending quality time together!

Whether your little one dreams of becoming the next top chef or simply wants to help out with getting meals ready, getting them involved early on can foster confidence and a love for food.

Not every parent teaches their children culinary skills, so if you’re lost on where to start, we’re here to help! Here’s a guide on teaching kids how to cook, complete with tips, tricks, and a sprinkle of culinary games.

1. Safety first

One of the first things you should do when teaching your kids how to cook is to lay down the kitchen rules. Explain the importance of safety, such as keeping hands clean, handling sharp tools carefully, and being cautious around hot surfaces.

For younger kids, start by teaching them simple tasks like mixing, washing fruits and veggies, or measuring ingredients. As they grow older, they can graduate to more advanced tasks, like peeling, chopping, or using the stove under supervision.

Tip: Use kid-friendly tools! It’s scary to hand your child a sharp chef’s knife, but it is actually safer than a dull knife because the latter can catch and drag. Look for sharp knives designed to fit a kid’s hands for better grip and start them with knife work on soft items such as strawberries. You may also want to get smaller bowls and colorful measuring cups for the kitchen to make the experience more visually engaging.

2. Start with simple recipes

Begin with recipes that have just a few ingredients and straightforward steps. Simple dishes help kids feel successful without overwhelming them.

Think of things like scrambled eggs or omelets, peanut butter sandwiches, no-bake cookies, and pasta with simple sauces. Generally, breakfast dishes are good recipes for kids too. These beginner-friendly dishes introduce basic kitchen skills like stirring, mixing, and measuring, without requiring advanced techniques.

Like adults, children have their own food preferences. So you can also start with dishes that your child likes. Grilled cheese, spaghetti with meatballs, or fried rice are just a few examples of what you can make.

To explore more recipes, head to a local library and let your child pick a cookbook with recipes that they are interested in. If you’re looking for recommendations, the Sesame Street cookbooks are perfect for young ones. On Cooking: a Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals and Jamie’s Ministry of Food cookbooks are also good options, offering easy-to-follow recipes for the family.

3. Get creative in the kitchen

When you’re teaching your kids how to cook, it’s best to allow them to make decisions now and then. Take a box of cookies and let them stir in chocolates or sprinkles. Let them help in decorating cupcakes, arranging toppings on a homemade pizza, or creating colorful fruit salads.

You can also make it a game, like a “build your own sandwich” station or a “rainbow smoothie” challenge using different fruits.

4. Teach them the how’s and why’s

Cooking is not just about following recipes—it’s also science in action. As you cook together, talk about why the dough rises when you add yeast, how eggs help hold ingredients together, or why certain foods change color when heated. It’s also fun to learn about concepts such as Maillard reaction (browning of meat) and how it adds flavor to ingredients!

This will help build a fundamental understanding of food, which will help them in more advanced cooking later on.

It also promotes healthier choices. For example, in terms of how cooking methods affect nutrients, they’ll learn that steaming vegetables rather than boiling retains vitamins better.

5. Introduce culinary games

Introducing games is an excellent way to familiarize kids with cooking while keeping them engaged. Some ideas include:

• MasterChef Junior. Turn your kitchen into a mini cooking competition. Set up simple challenges like “Who can make the best sandwich?” or “Who can decorate the best cupcake?”
• Cooking Simon Says. In this version of Simon Says, kids must follow cooking instructions—but only if you start the direction with “Simon says!” For example, “Simon says, stir the batter” or “Simon says, pour in the milk.”
• Pancake Art Challenge. Let kids create fun shapes or designs with pancake batter. Challenge them to make animals, letters, or even silly faces with their pancakes.

You can also check out online culinary games for kids, which can help them get interested and learn about cooking in a fun way. CulinarySchools.org features games such as Julia’s Food Truck and Sushi Bar where you have to prep specific dishes and serve them to customers.

Teaching kids how to cook can be fun, creative, and interactive. For parents, the important thing to remember is be patient and let them try on their own. Offer them praise and encouragement to boost their confidence when they are doing something right. Don’t forget to taste and enjoy the fruits of their labor together—it’s the best reward!

Teaching kids how to cook depends on their age and current kitchen skills. These steps are generalized toward kids who are yet to be introduced into cooking.

Do you have other tried-and-tested tips on getting your kid started with cooking?

Related