Now that school is out and summer has officially begun, it’s the perfect time to invite your kids into the kitchen. With more free time on everyone’s hands, cooking together can turn into a fun, hands-on activity that helps children learn valuable life skills. Whether it’s measuring ingredients, cracking eggs, or simply stirring batter, kids of all ages can participate in age-appropriate tasks. These activities build confidence, spark curiosity, and offer a break from screens while still being engaging.
Kids under 3 can help by washing vegetables, stirring room temperature ingredients, and mashing potatoes and other vegetables with a fork. Kids ages 3-5 can perform those tasks as well as cut soft ingredients like butter and fruits, mix ingredients with a spoon, tear herbs and lettuce, and sprinkle seasoning and cheese. Children ages 5-7 can cut using a small knife or with kitchen scissors, use measuring cups and spoons, grease cake and muffin tins, and peel oranges or hard-boiled eggs. Kids ages 8-11 can start taking on more of the planning including selecting recipes and finding ingredients in the pantry and fridge. They can also take on more kitchen skills including using a peeler, grater, whisk and can opener and turn the oven on and off. Children 12 and up can take on more complex recipes and start to experiment with improvising in the kitchen.
Involving kids in meal prep provides an opportunity to teach them about nutrition and healthy eating habits. When children help make a meal, they’re often more willing to try new foods and take pride in what they’ve created. Turn everyday routines — like making lunch or baking a
weekend treat—into mini lessons on where food comes from, how it’s made, and why it matters. Even picky eaters might be more adventurous when they’ve had a hand in the process.
At Fueled and Fed Nutrition, we help make healthy eating fun and delicious for the whole family. If you need any assistance with picky eaters, navigating meal prep for health conditions, or nutrition for athletes, we can help with our one-on-one and family nutrition counseling services.
Fueled & Fed Nutrition is a nutritionist and dietitian team on a mission to make simplify nutrition for you and your family. They offer nutrition counseling services to children, teens and adults with specializations in diabetes, sports nutrition, GI issues and thyroid conditions. Learn more at fueledfednutrition.com
