I suck at bedtime routines, I hate going to the park, I avoid birthday parties, and I get frustrated trying to help my kids with homework. I don’t feel guilty about these things because I was selected to be the mom of my children and I’m exactly who they need. What I am good at is teaching my kids to cook and letting them help me in the kitchen on a regular basis.
I wasn’t always good at letting my kids help in the kitchen. I had to learn and practice a lot of patience. I know how important it is to encourage cooking when children are young so I want to help you. Here’s a guide I put together to help you determine where to start and what skills to practice with your children. Keep in mind all children are different and use your best judgement. I’ll also include a printout you can hang on your fridge for quick ideas.
Age appropriate Cooking Skills
Age 2+
- Washing vegetables – this is a great way of teaching them the names of vegetables and sparking an interest which will hopefully encourage them to try different foods
- Stirring ingredients
- Mashing with a fork
- Sprinkling & Pouring
- Washing dishes
- Intro to macro nutrients (what is a Protein, Carb, or Fat)
- Intro to food safety (washing hands, clean work surfaces)
Age 3+
- Breading and flouring
- Mixing
- Kneading -dough
- Rolling, shaping and cutting dough – choose plastic cutters and a small rolling pin
- Spreading – butter, PB, jelly, on toast or pancakes
- Brushing -oils on vegetables
- Wiping the table or countertops
- Cracking eggs
Age 5+
- Cutting using a small knife – children should learn how to form their hand into a claw to keep fingertips out of danger
- Cutting with scissors – if you can get smaller scissors or children’s scissors, use them to snip herbs
- Grating – fingers can easily be grated so keep watch and make sure they don’t get too close to the end of whatever they’re grating
- Measuring – even the very youngest children can do this but as children learn to read and do basic maths, this is a great opportunity for them to do this with less supervision
- Rubbing on spices (meats-discuss the importance of hand washing)
- Beating and folding ingredients (cakes, doughs)
- Greasing and lining a cake tin or tray
- Peeling (oranges, hard boiled eggs)
- Setting the table
- Operating the microwave
- Safely using the stovetop
Age 8+
- Planning the family meal
- Following a simple recipe
- Finding ingredients in the cupboards and fridge
- Using a peeler
- Whisking, using a balloon whisk or handheld mixer
- Turning on the stove (talk about safety and always having supervision)
- Opening cans
- Loading the dishwasher
Age 12+
- Explore recipes
- Improvise and try new things
- Kitchen equipment use without constant supervision (blender, kitchen aid, mixer, oven, microwave)
- Quantities (halving or doubling recipes)
- Food safety -Cooking meat to proper temperature, refrigerate foods
Click the download button below to print a quick guide to hang on your fridge.
Follow us on Pinterest for more great recipe suggestions! We love seeing Stay Fit Mom recipes in your kitchen! Post your meals to Instagram and be sure to tag @stayfitmom_Krista and @stayfitmom_Tracy!
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