To raise adventurous, self-sufficient and health-conscious eaters, get kids in the kitchen.
It may sound too simple, but those are just a few of the benefits when kids learn to cook. Cooking builds life skills, promotes , boosts confidence and strengthens family bonds 鈥 all while making mealtime fun.
鈥淚t helps to think of it as less of a chore and more of an opportunity to be together as a family,鈥 said Jessica Battilana, staff editor at King Arthur Baking Company, which offers adult and children鈥檚 cooking classes.
The food , and it doesn鈥檛 all have to be homemade.
鈥淭he investment parents make early on to encourage their kids to participate in mealtime will pay dividends later, when they鈥檙e able to handle kitchen tasks independently,鈥 Battilana said.
Whether your child loves to cook or has never held a knife, it鈥檚 not too late to start building these skills.
Some of the rewards:
A sense of accomplishment
If the COVID us anything, it was the importance of knowing how to cook.
During the lockdown, Becca Cooper Leebove, a mom of two in the Denver area, began teaching her children how to do simple tasks in the kitchen. Just 3 and 8 at the time, they began by dumping ingredients into a stand mixer, rolling out dough, or icing a cake.
Five years later, their skills continue to grow.
鈥淢y ultimate goal has always been family time 鈥 something to do together that鈥檚 engaging, but also important to get them off their phones or iPads,鈥 Leebove said.
鈥淭hey also love to brag when it鈥檚 done and we all eat their masterpiece together,鈥 Leebove said.
They clean up after cooking and know how to set the table. Now that Leebove鈥檚 son is a teenager, he helps chop veggies and saut茅 meat.
Confidence and real-world skills (like math)
鈥淚t can feel special to kids to be included in an adult activity,鈥 said Cristi Donoso, 38, from Alexandria, Virginia. Donoso is a speech therapist and encourages her clients to cook with their kids in age-appropriate ways. She's also the mother to a 5-year-old, who has been baking with her since toddlerhood.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of real-world learning involved,鈥 Donoso said: , language skills and self-control. Kids learn by reading and following a . It takes concentration and other executive functioning skills. They also learn how to be safe in a kitchen, requiring self-control.
Exposure and sensory experience with food help kids become well-rounded eaters, she said.
鈥淵our food experience isn鈥檛 just about sitting down to eat. It鈥檚 about making a list, going to the store, and feeling the fruit," she said.
An adventurous palate
Eric Brown, along with his wife, Elizabeth Brown, opened Third Space Kitchen in August 2023. At their two Massachusetts locations, they offer cooking classes for kids, often through day camps, birthday parties or as a school-break activity.
鈥淥ne thing I see a lot is that they鈥檙e willing to experiment,鈥 Brown said, and knowing what鈥檚 in the food helps kids get over any squeamishness. Or perhaps the common aversion to veggies.
Younger kids might start by making pizza dough from scratch or decorating cupcakes. Older kids have participated in full-cake icing competitions.
鈥淎s the programs progress, I hear less of 鈥楨ww, I won鈥檛 touch that鈥 and more of 鈥榃hat is that? I鈥檒l try it,鈥欌 said Brown, who has four kids of his own.
Paving the way for healthy eating
Childhood obesity rates , and studies have show a positive correlation between healthy eating and home cooking, which can be a good alternative to .
Jennifer Schittino, a Maryland-based working mom of two young children, wants to help them shape healthier habits for the future.
鈥淚t鈥檚 both healthier and cheaper to cook from scratch." she said. She also wants her children to "understand the fundamentals so they can make healthy and nutritious meals on a limited budget.鈥
Her kids know how to use knives and rolling pins, as well as hand-crank pasta, separate an egg, cut an avocado and toss pizza.
Parents might learn about cooking too
Even if you鈥檙e not a skilled home cook, don't be intimidated teaching kids to be one.
Start simple. Make a list of 10 things that kids can learn to master, Battilana suggested. It might include scrambled eggs, a quesadilla with guacamole, or pasta with steamed veggies.
鈥淧ractice making those 10 things often so you get good at them, can shop for them easily, and make them without a recipe,鈥 she said. (King Arthur has a kids' baking cookbook due out in September, 鈥淪weet and Salty!鈥)
Cooking and shopping for fresh foods become a lot less intimidating the more you do it.
鈥淚 think kids are far more capable in the kitchen than we give them credit for,鈥 Battilana said. 鈥淭hey may be slower, messier, but they鈥檙e capable of a lot, and usually pretty eager to try new foods 鈥 especially if they鈥檝e had a hand in making them.鈥 ___
Tracee M. Herbaugh writes frequently about Lifestyles topics for The Associated Press. She can be reached at
