If you follow me on Twitter or you’ve been here a while, it’s pretty obvious that I love to cook. See my sourdough guide. When I was a young child I watched my mom and my step-mom in the kitchen. Even as an adult I love learning new techniques and recipes. Our good friend Octopod is a great resource that helps me fuel this desire for learning. But I rarely see any guides on how to get kids involved in the kitchen. I certainly wasn’t trained up in the kitchen from a young age, but told to watch, only. And do dishes after.
I really learned to cook in high school. I was VERY lucky that my high school had a stellar cooking program and I learned a ton there. From there I experimented with recipes and learned the more advanced skills of my mother and step-mother on my own. What a shame to have not learned it from them, right? My step-mom STILL doesn’t let me help her in the kitchen.
I knew that I wanted it to be different for my kids. Toddlers are nature’s helpers. Every toddler I have ever met wants to help in any way they can. It took me a while to get comfortable with this in the kitchen because of safety and efficiency. I adjusted my expectations and here’s what we do to foster autonomy in the kitchen.
Why?
When kids are involved in the process of making food, they are more likely to eat it. So if you’re wanting to try a new recipe or food, or your kid has been refusing to try new things (first read the last post about eating autonomy) try getting them involved in the preparation.
It’s a sensory experience. When preparing food you use all of your senses. This is great for new learners and gets them very familiar with foods.
It’s a learning experience! Teaching kids how to be safe in the kitchen while letting them help gets them invested and learning. Your child will not only learn that the stove is hot, but why, how, and safe ways to be around it without getting hurt. In my experience, telling them the stove is hot isn’t as effective as showing them (safely) how and why it’s hot.
They learn to cook and prepare food. This works well when they are young because it helps to foster autonomy with eating and taking care of themselves. Win win. And it’s a skill they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives.
It’s bonding time. I love cooking with my kids. I teach, we smell and taste, and we experience cooking together. I love watching their eyes light up when something comes together. It makes them feel proud when they get to tell their daddy, “I helped make dinner!” They feel proud when the family enjoys what they’ve prepared.
It makes your kid feel like a part of the family team. When kids get to contribute in a meaningful way to the family (not just pretend playing with their toy kitchen) it boosts their confidence and makes them feel like part of the team that is your family. They know when their contributions matter and that’s important!
How to Start
You don’t have to have your kid chopping fruit with a sharp knife, frying bacon, and boiling water on day one. In fact, I would recommend staying away from all of those things until they’re MUCH older. But there are small things you can let your kids do that are also safe.
Peeling hard boiled eggs (this is so much easier if you cook them in an instant pot FYI)
Arranging finger food on platters or individual plates
Getting eggs from the fridge for cooking
Stirring literally anything in a bowl
Pouring pre-measured ingredients in a bowl
Putting bread in the toaster
Spreading butter on toast
There are so many ways to have kids help, make sure they’re age and skill appropriate.
The Next Step
As your kids get older, they’ll be able to take on more tasks with you in the kitchen. I know my older daughter can saute without getting burned because I have supervised her doing it many times. She knows the stove and the cast iron pan WILL burn her. She feels the heat coming off of it without needing to experience a burn. We took this very slow. But now, I know I can turn my back and trust her while I teach her younger sister to crack an egg (if you don’t teach them, they’ll never learn how to not get shells in everything).
My oldest also has special nylon knives that we purchased on Amazon. These knives cut through most things very well, but are hard (not impossible, mind you) to cut yourself with. I even packed one to cut our sourdough bread on a trip because I didn’t want to pack a sharp knife and it worked well enough for that.
I would recommend giving your child things that are easy to cut. So nothing too hard like carrots and nothing too soft like big tomatoes.
What I love about this knife set is that it allows me to teach my kids about knife safety without having to be nervous about it.
Give Your Kids Some Freedom
Once in a while I will ask my kids what they want to make. What sounds good? What do we have on hand? Do we need to go shopping or what should we make after our next trip? They love having a hand in planning something for us all to enjoy and it makes them more excited about helping in the kitchen.
I also make sure that I have foods that are accessible to them without needing help from me. This is part of having autonomy with eating, but I feel like it also makes them more comfortable in the kitchen. Sometimes my oldest wants to prepare a more complicated snack and I let her if it’s not too far fetched.
Try really hard not to say no. Whenever your kids want to help, try to find something they can do and say yes.
Tips and Things I Have Learned
When my kids first showed interest in being with me in the kitchen, I really wanted them there, but said no often. Why? Because I was in my head about it. My mother and step-mother never let me help. I needed to break that cycle. I was also set on getting meals prepared as quickly and efficiently as possible. I didn’t want extra mess. But I came to learn that slowing down and adjusting my expectations actually allowed me to enjoy cooking a LOT more. Who cares if you have a little more mess? You should be cleaning your kitchen up anyways. The joy you’ll find, if you let yourself, is worth it. Slow down, expect it to take longer, plan accordingly, adjust your expectations.
Kids only learn if you show them AND let them practice. We’ve had our fair share of egg shells in the batter. We’ve spilled flour while scooping. We’ve been splattered. That’s what aprons are for. As I have had my kids in the kitchen with me, they have learned so much and how to be more careful. They WANT to do well. They WANT to get it right. They WANT to learn. And as they learn, they want to do more both with and without me. They have become more autonomous.
When your kid wants to be done helping, let them be done. Don’t push for more. It’s a no pressure situation.
Cooking is such a fantastic way to learn so much. It’s more than just measuring and reading a recipe. I highly recommend you get your kids in the kitchen with you.
Now, go grab a stool and have some fun!