Spend Time With Your Kids in the Kitchen

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Boy cracking egg

With the winter months here and the weather finally feeling like the holiday season, take some time with your children and share some cooking and baking activities. 2020 has been the year for family time and even though the holidays can be a time we usually spend more time together, you can make this year special by sharing some of those special family recipes. Children of all ages can have a role in the kitchen and safely help you prepare meals, special recipes, or just lend some fun conversations as you cook.

Purdue University and Indiana Cooperative Extension have some great tips on cooking with kids. Purdue University’s Eat Gather Go

So dust off that family recipe, and look for steps or ways your children can help this year. Some ways different age groups can help are listed below:

  • 3-5 year old – can use cookie cutters, mix simple ingredients, use a pastry brush to oil bread, vegetables, or other foods, use small pieces of fruit to craft funny fruit faces or plates. Examples of Fruit Faces
  • 6-7 year old – crack eggs into bowls, use a vegetable peeler, stir ingredients that take a little strength, use blunt scissors to cut herbs or green onions into small pieces
  • 8-9 year old – at this level take into account your child’s maturity level. They can rinse and clean vegetables, use some can openers, beat eggs, measure and mix dry ingredients, and juice citrus fruits.
  • 10-12 year old – These pre-teens can take on a little more responsibility. They can boil pasta and vegetables, follow simple step-by-step recipes, understand baking and help with using the microwave to melt butter or other steps in a recipe.

It may get a little messy at times having the smaller hands helping, but nothing can beat the fun of sharing that time with them and the traditions of some of the recipes you can make together this year. Even if it is only baking a bunch of cookies or mixing up a salad together, treasure this time with them.