100 Tips for Cooking with Kids
“Sometimes celebrating, enjoying, and laughing seem almost inappropriate in a world as broken as ours. We look around and see panic on the faces of everyone we see. Tragedies become ordinary. How, in good conscience, can we laugh and celebrate and eat pizza? I believe we must celebrate - because celebration is one of the most effective weapons we have against the darkness of our day. The real grief of the state of our world is the pervasive fear that settles in our hearts.” - Sally Clarkson, The Lifegiving Table
Cooking with Kids
There are so many wonderful lessons that can be learned in the kitchen! Math and chemistry, patience, trying again when something doesn't turn out right (I'm looking at you, gluten free sourdough).
And sometimes it's just plain fun. Tasting new spices, trying new recipes, making old favorites for the whole family - there is a relationship that happens around food that just doesn't happen anywhere else. There is a beauty in feasting and celebrating that reminds us of all the wonderful things our Father in heaven is preparing for us.
Teaching our children to become adept at cooking can seem like a monstrous undertaking - but today we are sharing 100 cooking tips for beginners to help you get on your way!
I began showing my boys little things in the kitchen when they were toddlers. We made butter and lemonade and they loved to dump ingredients into the bowl for me. Now, at 14 and 12, both are excellent cooks and are responsible for making their own breakfasts during the week, they help fix treats for our church hospitality hour, and they often fix lovely dinners for our family. *I earned a lot of white hair working with them in the kitchen- but it was totally worth it! *
I am grateful to be of service and bring you quality homeschool and homemaking content. I receive compensation through subscribers, curriculum sales, and affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Subscriber friends- there is a free download at the end of this post for our Kids in the Kitchen recipe binder. Enjoy!
Cooking Tips for Beginners
Start by Having your child wash their hands. The earlier you teach good hygiene in the kitchen the more prepared they’ll be for cooking on their own.
Little Sprouts Learning has an excellent list of 17 Basic Cooking Skills that Everyone Should Know.
Both of you should use an apron to protect clothing from spills and splatters. This apron is one of my favorites!
Explain the importance of respecting the kitchen tools. Let them know knives are not toys, and stoves are hot. But also teach them that proper usage means fewer accidents.
Have girls or boys with longer hair tie back their tresses to keep it from getting into food and dishes.
Start by teaching your kids to do one task at a time. While we know and understand that cooking requires multitasking, kids need time to build up to that skill.
You can set them up for success by planning ahead of time and ensuring you have everything they’ll need to complete a recipe.
Teach them to listen and repeat instructions. This helps to ensure they are hearing and understanding what needs to be done.
Teach the basic skills that are necessary in cooking early such as squeezing, measuring, tearing and cutting. This is a great way to learn fractions!
Be sure to read through the recipe and get the ingredients ready. This cooking technique is called mis en place, which is French for setting up everything in its place, by professional chefs.
Expect they’ll make a mess and be OK with it.
When it comes to kids cooking, think small. Instead of making a six inch sub try mini subs like this Chicken Parm Sliders using chicken nuggets.
Remember the importance of washing produce before using it in cooking and teach your children different methods to properly wash fruit and veggies. Teach techniques such as soaking, rubbing, brushing or rinsing. We use a Therasage O3 bubbler to get our veggies extra clean.
Make it simple when starting out. Do something easy like letting them put their own toppings on their pizza.
Let everyone help. Little ones can help clean fruits and veggies, while your older children can open cans, or chop vegetables.
Remember that cooking requires math, and science. So, teach those educational concepts as you work.
Little ones are just as interested in experiencing the cooking through all their senses as they are in being a helper. So let them, touch, taste, smell, and even hear throughout the experience.
Relax and have fun. If you get stressed through the process they’ll be stressed as well.
To protect little hands, make cooking easy by using small appliances. Adding ingredients to a slow cooker, Instant Pot, toaster oven, or electric skillet means you have much more control over safety.
Whenever possible utilize scissors to cut ingredients for a safer, and easier way to manage little fingers in the kitchen.
When oiling a baking dish or pan, let your kids help by letting them use a pastry brush to paint the pan with oil.
Cooking doesn’t just have to be about meal making. It can also be fun. Use a fun cookbook like Master Chef Junior Bakes to help teach basic skills in a fun, kid-friendly way.
When you begin to teach knife skills start easy. Have them use a butter knife to slice mushrooms, bananas, avocados, or other soft foods to learn the motions. Teach them that a sharp knife is much less dangerous than a dull one before you move on to cutting and chopping with kitchen knives.
Put the kids in control. Ask them what they’d like to learn how to cook.
Take your kids shopping for groceries to help them learn about a variety of products, and the cost and value of the things they will be eating.
Let them make suggestions for adding ingredients and don’t be afraid to give it a try. Even if it fails, they’ll learn through experience.
Have your little ones help you to plant herbs or veggies. As they grow, they’ll be excited to harvest, cook and eat their crops.
Set up tables at their level so they can work on their own to measure, mix, and whip up recipes.
Make sure you have plenty of time. Having little helpers work with you in the kitchen when you are short on time will only make you stressed.
Use a stable stool to bring the child up to the level of the countertop.
Have small children use a potato masher to crush potatoes, strawberries, avocado, cooked apples, and other soft food items whenever you need to mash foods for a recipe.
Ice Cream in a Bag is a simple cooking activity that kids will be thrilled to try
Chores like putting away dishes can help your child to become familiar with where cooking utensils are located.
You can allow them to practice on their own. From time to time, set out a set of safe, edible, ingredients that they can mix and match on their own to see what happens. Let them be in control and help them in whatever way they ask. Remember learning happens best through experience.
Read the recipe out loud, and repeat instructions as necessary to help them to know what to do.
Like anything in life, teach your children cooking skills using the ages in stages philosophy. Toddlers can help you to pour and watch as you count ingredients. Preschoolers can help you count, mix ingredients. Elementary aged children can begin to measure and start making simple recipes. As the child continues to grow and develop skills you can give them more complicated tasks. .
Search for recipes from around the globe to let your kids have a multicultural experience.
Remember that cooking is messy, and your kids need to learn that cleaning up is an important part of the cooking process. Teach them to clean as they go, and to clean up after the meal is complete.
Cleaning up doesn’t have to be a boring job though! Give everyone an assignment. Then, turn on some fun music and have a dance party while you clean the dishes, and sweep up the floor.
You might be a whiz in the kitchen mixing and matching with instinct but when it comes to teaching your kids using a recipe helps them to understand the step by step process.
Teach proper instrument usage. For example, a glass measuring cup is used for liquids and a dry measuring cup is used for dry ingredients.
This simple bread recipe from Delish.com makes it easy for kids to make Bread in a bag.
When making cookies let kids cream butter and sugar together with their hands. Make sure their hands are clean and this sensory experience becomes both useful and fun.
For pre-readers you can use recipes that include visual prompts for children to make it easier for them to follow along.
Need to make breadcrumbs for a recipe? Have your kids make them using stale bread, or toast and shred them using a grater.
Children who are around 8 years old and older can help you to check the internal temperature of cooked meats.
Decorating baked goods is made much easier when you add frosting to a sealable zip bag. Just cut off one corner and let the kids do the piping.
When it’s time to let them use heat, think of simple recipes such as oatmeal, grilled cheese, or warming up soup.
Remember to use a hot pad or mitten to carry hot items.
Keep trivets around the countertop to set hot items on.
Set rules for kitchen safety. For example, set a rule to ask before you lick. Kids will lick anything, but it wouldn’t be good to lick a fork that was just speared into raw chicken.
Create a binder or recipe box that includes simple recipes for children that they can use whenever they want.
Find and watch fun cooking videos on YouTube, Amazon, or other streaming apps.
Select a day each week that the kids will help cook. Having a routine is a good way to build upon learned skills.
Whenever you are mixing a batter such as cake, brownie, or pancake batter put all of the ingredients into a zip bag and let the children mix it by kneading the plastic bag.
When making pie crust, demonstrate how to crimp the edge with a fork to your child. Then let them finish going around the pie and do it by themselves.
Cookie cutters aren’t just useful for cookies. You can let little hands use them to cut out shapes from sheet cakes, sandwiches, and pancakes.
Use a printed recipe. It won't matter if spills and tears happen while cooking.
Each week, have a themed cooking activity. Maybe it’s pizza week, taco week, or campfire cooking week, the idea is that you focus on different techniques surrounding the various themes.
From time to time let elementary aged and above kids cook on their own. Starting with simple recipes they have shown to be proficient in letting them master the recipe by cooking the meal. Of course, you’ll be close enough to help if they need it, but otherwise let them build confidence by going it alone.
Teach by example. Show how to do a technique, then have them help you to do the technique, and finally let them try under supervision before they are able to do it on their own.
Set your kids up for healthy success later in life by teaching them healthy recipes while they are young. Like these Clean Eating Recipes for Kids from A Mom’s Impression.
Utilize easy ingredients that make the cooking process simpler. Like purchased frozen dinner roll dough that can be used to make mini pizzas.
When decorating a cake or cupcake let the kids decide what to put on top. Anything from sprinkles, to gummy candies, and even crushed chocolate bars will work.
Explain to older children how ingredients work. For example, teach how baking powder, and yeast cause dough to puff up while cooking.
Spreading newspaper over countertops and tables will make cleaning up a breeze since you can simply roll it up and throw it away.
When making yeast bread, let the kids punch down the dough after each rise.
Baking can be a lesson in art when you let children mix and match food coloring to make a variety of icing colors.
Have your kids taste test through the cooking process and ask their opinion on flavors.
Let your children decide what side dishes will go along well with the main course.
Teach the skill of dividing the recipe in half, or even quarters to practice math skills and also how to adjust for fewer servings.
Unlock Food has a good guide for teaching kids to cook by age group.
Also teach them how to double a recipe whenever you might have guests coming for a visit.
Appliances make cooking easier. And it is a good idea to teach your children how to utilize various appliances such as mixers, and blenders. Once they’ve helped you a few times let them do it on their own.
Put one of your children in charge of salad making. A large grater can be used to shred any veggie while keeping little fingers safe.
Breading chicken, or fish is made so much easier when you put the items into a zip bag. Kids can simply shake the bag to bread the meat.
Another great use for zip bags is placing meats inside and then letting the kids use a meat tenderizer on the bag to tenderize the meat.
Separating eggs is so much easier when you use your fingers to let the white fall through preserving the yolk. Simply crack the egg, then gently lift the yolk.
Teach your kids how to prep fresh vegetables for cooking. They need to learn how to string and snap beans, to hull peas from their pods. Also, teach them to shuck corn and even shed it from the cob.
Be sure to show your child how to use both a standard hand crank can opener as well as an electric one.
Don’t forget to teach children simple things, like adding a lid to a pot to help water to reach boiling quicker.
Making butter in a jar is both a cool cooking technique and a fun science experiment all wrapped up in fun.
When juicing a lime, lemon, or orange, roll the citrus fruit while pressing down, this breaks up the fibers and makes it easier to squeeze out the juice.
Teach your children the importance of seasoning well with salt and pepper. Salt brings out the flavor while pepper enhances the flavors.
Explain to your children that when cooking it’s important to not crowd the pan. Let each piece have room to cook for even cooking.
Practice a wide variety of techniques for cooking eggs with your children. To name a few, frying, boiling, scrambling, sunny side, over easy, medium, and hard, poached, and baked.
Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water pot when boiling eggs to make it easier to slip the shell off.
A great way to anchor your cutting board so that it doesn’t slip is to dampen a paper towel and spread it out on the counter and set the board on top.
Utilize rotisserie chickens to shred the meat and make dinners come together quickly when working with little hands.
Keep a large bowl near your workstation to use as a temporary garbage bin. Simply use it while prepping and cooking and then empty it in the trash can when it’s time to clean up.
Need to mince garlic, onions, or other veggies to be very small? Have your children do this by using a microplane to make the process so much easier.
Spend some time teaching older kids about ingredient substitutions. All Recipes has a handy substitution guide you can use.
When making pasta, cook according to package directions. Then, use a pasta fork or tongs to transfer the pasta to the sauce and let the pasta continue to cook and absorb the flavors of the sauce.
Need to zest a lemon or other citrus fruit? Let your children help by using a small cheese grater to do the zesting for you.
A super simple dish that a child of any age can make is banana ice cream. Simply freeze a peeled banana, then crush it with a fork, potato masher or food processor, add chocolate sauce or a tablespoon of peanut butter. Give it a quick stir and you’ve got a yummy, healthy ice cream that’s dairy free.
A good task for children is using a mortar and pestle to crush nuts, herbs, and even grains. It’s good exercise and also a great way to enhance the flavors of the ingredients for cooking.
Making pie dough? Instead of trying to teach your young kids to cut in the butter with a fork, or pastry cutter have them rub in the butter using their fingers.
Need to roll out pie dough? Place it between two layers of parchment paper or place it inside a large zip bag. Then let the kids roll it with the rolling pin. The layers keep the dough from sticking to the pin and helps to roll the dough to a consistent thickness throughout. If using a zip bag, simple cut the edges of the bag with scissors to peel back the plastic.
Speaking of pie dough, it can be hard for kids to roll the dough into a round shape. No worries, once they’ve finished rolling simply take a pizza cutter and roll a circle around the outer edge to get the round shape you need for the pie.
As your child becomes proficient, learn to step away. Remember the goal of teaching your child to cook is helping them to become self-sufficient.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Everyday Graces Homeschool to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.