The Joy of Cooking with Kids
One of the most exciting things about becoming a parent is imagining all the moments you’ll share with your children as they grow. For me, I couldn’t wait until my girls were old enough to cook alongside me in the kitchen.
As a wife and mum, the kitchen is where I spend a lot of my time – it’s my happy place. Cooking brings me joy, and I hope that one day my girls will find the same happiness in creating meals of their own, reliving the memories we shared and passing them down to their kids.
When is the Right Age to Start?
Parents often wonder: What age is the right age to start introducing kids to the kitchen? Honestly, I believe it’s never too early.
When my girls were just a few months old – around the 3-month mark – I would set them up in their bouncer while I cooked. I’d chat to them, explain what I was doing, and point out things like hot and cold. Of course, they didn’t fully understand yet, but it helped with bonding, speech exposure, and laid a foundation for when solids were introduced later on.
Toddler Years: Exploring and Learning
The next big milestone is around 12 months, when babies are mobile, curious, and eager to explore. This is a great time to introduce them to new textures and simple activities – like feeling the skin of fruits and veggies, pulling herb leaves off stems, or practicing fine motor skills by cutting a banana with a toddler-safe knife.
Between the ages of 1 and 3, there are endless opportunities for involvement. My eldest daughter’s favourite activity (before she even turned two!) was cracking and beating eggs, then adding ingredients to make scrambled eggs. She thought it was the bee’s knees – and as a bonus, she was always more excited to eat meals she’d helped prepare.
Embrace the Mess
Cooking with kids isn’t always neat and tidy and that’s okay! Mess is part of the fun, part of the learning, and part of growing up. As kids get older, the mess tends to lessen, and who knows, by the time they reach double digits, they might even take over dinner duty.
I still remember being a pre-teen and insisting my mum take a night off so I could cook a meal all on my own. Those moments gave me confidence and independence that shaped who I am today.
Skills That Go Beyond the Kitchen
Including kids in your day-to-day cooking teaches them so much in every aspect of life. It teaches them valuable life skills they’ll carry forever:
- Time management & patience
- Planning & organisation
- Maths & measuring
- Creativity & problem-solving
- How to follow instructions
Cooking becomes a classroom for life.
I’ve collated a list of things we do in the kitchen that I want to share with you to maybe inspire you to do more with your kids in the kitchen. Rather than trying to rack your brain thinking up of activities to do for them while you’re preparing dinner, get them in there with you! They will love you for it and look back at those moments as highlights to their childhood.
This checklist can be applied to any age and used with your judgement, depending on what age your child is and what stage your child is at. Download it here.
I would love to hear what you do with your little ones in the kitchen, any age too – I’ll need any tips on what I can be getting them involved with as they get older. Let me know in the comments below!
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