There are so many benefits to getting your kids in the kitchen cooking together as a family. Whether it is a great way to practice math skills, gain self-esteem, or just have fun, getting together as a family to cook a meal is one of the best ways to make lasting memories. After all, kids learn by doing, tasting, and smelling so they really belong in the kitchen. Do NOT worry about the mess – they can clean up too – another great life skill, right?!?!
All the benefits for both kids and adults are listed below. In addition, I shared some cooking ideas and some great kid-friendly recipes. Your kids will love using the mixer to make Strawberry Mousse or learn some science while making homemade pickles in leftover brine.
So get out some tiny aprons, wash some little hands, push a stool up to the counter, and have a great big fun time getting messy. There are so many thing to love about cooking together as a family.
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Benefits to Cooking for the Kids
Here are the top reasons to get your kids in the kitchen. Cooking together has so many benefits & rewards. The life skills start at home and teaching children how to bake, saute, chop, measure, & mix is fun & why it is important.
- Proud of their accomplishments - great for self-esteem
- Gets them interested in trying new foods - when you help make it, you want to eat it
- Learn more about nutrition and portion sizes - helps foster a lifelong practice of eating healthier
- Hygiene and safe food handling - washing hands and keeping raw food from other ingredients is key
- Math skills - measuring ingredients and doubling recipes require math
- Reading skills - reading and understanding step-by-step instructions
- Teamwork skills - mixing while someone pours for example
- Social skills - asking questions, sharing tasks, & taking turns talking & listening. Make it a kid cooking party and invite friends over.
- Timing skills - prep order to time things in the oven or when you want many things done at the same time
- Quality time together & FUN!
Miley with pineapple upside-down cupcakes
Benefits for the Adults & Couples
Benefits of cooking together with just your spouse or as a family are limitless. Cooking together at home has so many advantages & here are just a few. So get ready to sit down to dinner at home with something you made remember why cooking is fun.
- Proud of what you teach/empower your children with - teaching a child is more ideal than simply just doing for a child
- Helping hands - the more involved can help divide and conquer meal prep (ok ok, when kids are really young it may be more work than help but it will pay off someday!)
- Share memories and heritage - teaching your kids about family recipes is a great legacy
- Strong connections, bonding, building the relationships, & more through communication & teamwork.
- Quality time together & FUN!
- Health benefits to control what you cook, the ingredients, & getting exercise while preparing it all.
Recipe Ideas to Cook with Kids
Start off with some recipes that require no cooking with the youngest kids. Cooking with toddlers could involve assembling sandwiches, salads, or chips & dips!
As kids get older they can graduate with more cooking skills like cutting with safety knives. You may still want to keep your kid cooking without fire or heat on a stove.
The oven is usually a safer thing to start with. They can add items to the oven and still be safe making sure they don't touch the sides. Adults can help with removing hot items at first until they graduate to cooking with heat.
- Family favorites you know they already like (family pizza night!)
- Holiday cookies like Oreo Snowmen
- Let them look through cookbooks or magazines to pick a recipe
- Assemble salads and toss with dressings
- Pasta and a variety of sauces
Recipes to Cook Together As a Family
Here are some of our easy family favorite recipes. They are child-approved when it comes to how tasty they are. Plus they are great tasting for adults, easy to prepare, easy clean-up, & are simple to prepare.
When learning to cook these easy recipe for breakfast, lunch, dinner, salads, desserts, & appetizers are perfect. Kids and teens can help out safely making these recipes & enjoy the delicious reward at the end.
Child Safety Tips in the Kitchen
- Keep dangerous knives and utensils out of reach for younger kids. Knife safety for kids of all ages is important. Know what skills your kids have or have not already mastered - great kid-safe knives are listed below from Amazon.
- Supervise any stove work or opening/closing the ovens
- Use safe stools when necessary for shorter kids (or moms too!)
- Raw meat is something that needs correct handling, so this may be a task for older kids and not 2-4yr old (keep areas and hands clean!)
PIN FOR SAFEKEEPING & SHARING!
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Lisa Manderino says
I agree your kids can learn so much as you cook with them. They will have to cook for themselves on day as well so it is good to give them a head start!
Michelle says
I always found this to be a great bonding expierence with my niece. Now when we get together she always wants to bake something. She always remebers her visits based on what sweet treat we made. I hope we keep that going forever.
Angela says
That is lovely, thanks for sharing. I agree, wonderful memories around food can last forever.
Jane says
What a great idea to bond with your kids through baking/cooking. It's great that you pointed out that benefits. Looks like the whole family (esp. the kiddies) are having fun.
Angela says
Yes fun for sure. Daddy, aka the dishwasher, sometimes disagrees - haha!
jen says
lovely article. good habits and good times.... lovely
Lee Anne says
So fun! I love getting my older son in the kitchen with me. My little is almost there too! I have found that when they are involved, they are more willing to try it if it is new!
Angela says
Yeah, totally opens them up to try new things for sure!
Malia says
Thank you for this! Now that soccer and cross country seasons are over we can get back in the habit of doing our weekly kid's cook nights! I totally agree that this is a huge life skill and confidence booster that the kids enjoy!
Jen says
Love this post! I always cooked and baked with our children when they were little. We have such great memories of these bonding times.
Jennifer Morrison says
I so very much agree with your points. My granddaughter is sometimes skeptical about foods. When she participates in preparing them she is so much more likely to try it, and like it.
Angela says
Wonderful, keep that kitchen and food excitement going.
Karen says
My kid's love make your own pizza night. It's a favorite in our house
Erika says
This is so sweet. My 1 year olds already love to help me while I am cooking, I look forward to fostering that even more as they grow.
Matt Epley says
My daughter has been talking about cooking crabcakes together, but I think I might suggest your ideas as well! Yummy looking foods...all of them!
Angela says
Great, have fun and enjoy it. I will say crab cakes sound great to me too.
Tiffany says
Yes!! My kids love to get involved in the kitchen...especially my youngest son!
Suzan says
YES! Bonding, learning what it takes to create food, importance of food choices, creating a healthy lifestyle all can be learned from what bonds every human, eating food.
Katherine Wolfe says
Great post! My son helps in the kitchen a ton but I never really realized all of the benefits of allowing him to do so. Thanks for sharing!
Maria says
My mom hated being in the kitchen, and as such we didn't spend much time in there either, because she thought it was torture, so didn't want to submit us to it! The only thing that we did was bake at Christmas time, and it was ever so much fun. I can still see my brother and I making our own gingerbread cookies and marzipan shapes. Happy memories.
Amy Irvin says
Awesome post. Thanks so much. I should get in the kitchen with my 6 year old!
Rachel says
Great recipe ideas. I have to admit, I have a hard time letting the kids help. It's because I personally loathe cooking/baking so I just want to be in and out. But you're right, it really is important they learn.
Cindy says
I agree! Cooking with kids has so many benefits. My kids are grown but they all learned their way around a kitchen. And now my grandkids are learning about cooking too.
Christina Furnival says
We do family pizza night, and my dad just baked a cake with my daughter! Love the other recipe ideas!