Cooking with Kids

My two year old son loves to cook. He does not care what we are cooking or how easy/hard it is to make, he wants to help. I try to let him help with all aspects of cooking and make it easy for him to be an active part of preparing meals for our family. You can let your child help in the kitchen too! Give him a child sized apron and let the fun begin!

First of all, make it safe. Tell your child about the hazards that are present in the kitchen. Your child should never attempt to cook without a responsible adult in the kitchen with them. Kids should not use knives and other appliances that are dangerous. Teach your child about food-borne illnesses and how to control bacteria contamination in the kitchen.

Before you begin cooking, make sure that your child knows to always wash their hands. All surfaces and utensils should be washed thoroughly before cooking also. It is important that your child knows to keep the kitchen clean as well while you are cooking.

Let your child pull a chair up to the counter to prepare foods with you. If you have foods cut up and prepared ahead of time, it will make cooking with your child easier and faster. If you feel that your child is ready and able to follow directions, you might choose to let them help at the stove. Give your child a plastic spoon and allow them to stir in a pot or skillet.

Kids can help measure ingredients and pour them into a bowl, stir the ingredients together and add to a baking pan, skillet or pot. You can let your child pull cookie dough apart and press onto a baking sheet. Kids can also use cookie cutters to press shapes onto rolled dough for cookies.

Keep the recipe simple and easy to follow for the best results when cooking with kids. Remember that the older your children get, the more they will be able to help with.