As seasonal produce makes its way into markets, it’s a great time to cook with kids. Regardless of age, there are many ways kids can help that also offer learning opportunities in support of their education
and skill-building that they’ll use for a lifetime. Try our kid-friendly recipes at naturesninja.org.
What kind of recipes should I cook with kids?
Simple, straightforward recipes are the best to begin with when introducing your kids to cooking. Now isn’t the time to use a long list of herbs and spices or complicated techniques. Keeping this in mind, the recipe should be active so that it will keep their attention throughout the process. Also, a recipe that transforms food from its state as multiple ingredients into a combination of flavors and textures serves as a learning experience. This transformation teaches kids how the individual components change through mixing, baking, or resting.
Doughs such as bread doughs and cookie doughs are a good example of this. Flour and liquids come together in a food processor to form the dough, then the dough changes even further when baked. For yeast breads, it can be fun for kids to watch the dough rise and to help with kneading. Salad dressings are another simple recipe that transforms ingredients. Kids can whisk in the oil and watch it blend into their favorite dressing or dip for vegetables. Simple recipes such as grilled cheese or quesadillas can be fun to watch as cheese melts and these can be made in a panini press or a toaster oven to avoid flames for younger children.
What lessons do kids learn when cooking?
Counting and measuring help develop math skills. Kids can help with simple tasks such as counting out the number of grapes for a fruit salad. They can use a measuring cup to prepare the flour or to measure water. Giving them the measuring tape to find the right size of a casserole dish, to measure the diameter of a rolled-out pizza dough, or to make sure cookies are the right distance apart on a baking sheet are fun tasks, too.
Stirring together ingredients, melting butter, watching something brown in the oven, or emulsifying in a blender are all lessons in science. Preparing ingredients in order and following each step teach lessons in organization and planning.
How do I make cooking with kids easier?
Plan what you will make ahead of time and know which task you will assign to your kids. Involve them in the process of meal planning and the shopping so that they are more invested in the event. Also, allow kids to have input in the recipe. Could the recipe use an orange or yellow bell pepper? Let them choose. Can you use red or green grapes? Let them pick their favorite.
Providing kids with their own special tools so they feel they have a role in what is happening is another way to get them excited, which will make things easier for you. For example, an apron just for them, measuring cups that only they use, or a special spoon for stirring. If recipes will take a long time to complete, be sure there is something active they can be doing while things rise, marinate, or bake.
How do I keep kids safe when cooking?
Assigning tasks that need less supervision will reduce the need for constant attention and alleviate the worry that an accident will occur. This may mean removing the need for chopping with knives or working with hot pans and liquids. Evaluate recipes to see what can be torn or divided instead of chopped. For example, fresh herbs and greens for salads can be torn by hand which is an ideal task for kids. Are there parts of the recipe that can be completed in the microwave versus on the stove? Providing a table that is the right height for youth, or a stool with safety features will prevent falls while working.
What should I do if my kids lose interest before we’ve finished cooking?
It’s challenging when you are halfway through cooking dinner only to have your child’s attention move elsewhere. The best way to keep them in the kitchen so you can keep an eye on them while you complete the tasks is to get them involved in an activity. When that activity supports similar learning as what you’d hoped to teach with cooking together, it’s a win for everyone. Our Nature’s Ninja Odyssey Free Downloadable Coloring Book
teaches kids all about onions and their health benefits. The accompanying activities book is full of active lessons for kids that will keep them occupied alongside you should they lose interest in the actual cooking. It also contains recipes and tools to create their own cookbook which may motivate them to try cooking again.
What are some recipes I can cook with my kids?
We have plenty of recipe ideas that are ideal for cooking with kids because they are simple and healthy with the opportunity for kid-friendly tasks such as measuring and stirring. Slow Cooker Bolognese is a meat sauce for pasta
that allows for counting, measuring, and stirring. Because it’s made in the Crock Pot, kids can even adjust the settings, so they feel they made it from start to finish. Kids can stir together the pickle
d onions and form the patties in these Pickled Onion Turkey Burgers.
These Microwave Burrito Wraps are easy for kids to help pull together for a quick dinner. Black Bean and Corn Salsa has plenty of steps for measuring, squeezing, and stirring that are kid-friendly.
Sweet Onion Pasta Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing
is a picnic side dish that kids can help make.
There are many steps that include measuring,
stirring, and shaping our Oniony Meatloaf
providing a great way to get kids involved in making dinner.
