Kitchen jobs for younger children
Start by giving them small tasks, such as cracking and whisking eggs, peeling garlic, grinding pepper, peeling onions, spreading butter and mixing dressings. These are all great jobs for younger children. Also, give them some salad or a bunch of carrots and a bowl of water to make them feel involved – it’s much more likely that they’ll eat salad or veg when they’ve washed it themselves.
Kitchen jobs for older children
If your children are older (or as they become more confident in the kitchen), start giving them slightly more complicated skills, like using scissors to cut leaves, herbs or tortilla wraps. Show them how to safely use a vegetable peeler and grater.
They’ll also have fun learning how to measure using spoons and jugs – pouring liquids takes practice, and is an easy way to keep them involved in the kitchen. Once you’ve shown them each skill, keep encouraging them to practise as much as possible, and their kitchen confidence will grow in no time.
Top tips for cooking with kids
- Use your own judgement about what they can help with and teach them about kitchen hygiene, making sure they wash their hands before they start and after touching any raw meat or fish.
- Turn all pan handles on hobs out of the way, keep sharp utensils out of harm’s way, and stay in the kitchen while they’re helping you.
- As you cook and prepare food, teach children good habits by tasting, touching and smelling as many of the ingredients that you’re using as possible.
- Children can also help lay the table – and don’t forget about the washing-up. Washing containers and utensils in soapy, bubbly water might appeal even more than cooking, and if they’re in the kitchen and helping, everyone’s happy!
When it comes to deciding which recipes children want to cook on their own, try to encourage them to help make food that everyone can eat. Start with simple recipes, like salad dressing – if they’ve made the dressing, they’re more likely to eat the salad, too. And, making food they’re excited about eating, such as homemade fish fingers, is always a winner. You can then move on to other, more adventurous ideas, such as homemade falafel.
10 summer recipes for kids to cook
1. Fish finger wraps
Have you ever made your own fish fingers? They’re fun to make and taste amazing. Have a go at these and invite friends or family to eat them. Get everyone to fill their own wraps.
Check out our healthy wrap recipes and make more homemade fish fingers.
2. Falafel burgers
Time to get your hands in the bowl and get messy. This is all about squashing, mashing, mixing and shaping, with some measuring thrown in, too.
Check out our best falafel recipes and vegetarian burger ideas.
3. Pizza with homemade sauce
Treat the kids to a pizza night, DIY-style. Kneading the dough will require adult assistance, but rolling it out into smooth balls, spooning a quick homemade tomato sauce on top and decorating each pizza with your favourite toppings are all kid-friendly tasks.
Discover more pizza recipes that the kids can make.
4. Rice paper rolls
These bite-sized summer rolls would make the perfect picnic lunch for your family. Kids can help choose the fillings (we recommend any combination of mint leaves, prawns, shredded cooked chicken, avocado, noodles and carrot) and, with a little guidance, they can also roll the rice paper wraps up.
You could also try our rainbow rice paper rolls, or Vietnamese prawn summer rolls.
5. Kids’ pasta salad
This recipe includes all the equipment you’ll need, so you and the children can lay everything out first. It’s a good way to give them insight into what it takes to make a meal! Simple knife skills are required (make sure you’re on hand to supervise), and budding chefs will love to mix all the colourful ingredients together at the end.
Find more quick pasta salad recipes, or try one of our Greek salads.
6. Easy salmon sushi rice bowl
Nothing says summer like colourful food. Kids will enjoy putting their sushi bowls together (sticky rice is way more fun than the regular kind), trying to make it as vibrant as possible. Each bowl could be their own work of art.
Learn how to make sticky rice perfectly, or check out our best salmon recipes.
7. Cheesy black bean quesadillas
Mashing, grating, snipping… so many fun tasks for children to do while making this crowd-pleasing quesadilla recipe. Kids can even help cook them on the hob, with adult supervision. Great eaten in the garden, with coriander on top.
Try more quesadilla recipes, or discover more ways with black beans.
8. Fajitas
Gently spiced and served with homemade salsa (there’s apple in there for sweetness), these chicken fajitas will definitely go down well with kids. Children aged five or over can help roughly chop the salsa ingredients and mash the avocado. This recipe includes clear instructions for both children and adults.
Find more fajita recipes, or pick one of our favourite ways with chicken breasts.
9. Mini pizza quiches
Kids love pizza! This quick cups are perfect for picnics, and couldn’t be easier to make. Let the children stamp out the tortilla circles themselves using a cookie cutter, and line the muffin tins. They might like to whisk the eggs together, too, or pop a cherry tomato half on top before baking.
Try more picnic recipes, or check out our finger food ideas.
10. Pink melon lollies
Taking the seeds out of the watermelon may take you a little time, but it’s worth the effort for these lollies. This is a great recipe for practising grating and measuring with spoons.
Discover more ways with watermelon and our best ice lolly recipes.
Try even more kid-friendly dishes:
Our ultimate healthy family meal collection
Top 5 healthy family meals
5-ingredient family dinners
Do your kids have a favourite recipe to get involved with? Leave a comment below.
Amanda Grant is a children’s food writer and co-founder of Cook School, a nationwide not-for-profit organisation that teaches children to cook.