Most kids enjoy helping out in the kitchen. While working together, you can also talk to them about healthy foods. This is a good way to get them excited about trying new foods and to help them develop healthy eating habits. In this post, we are going to present some examples of simple tasks for young children to help you engage them in the kitchen. Remember to supervise them closely. It is also a good time to teach and remind them the importance of food safety basics such as cleaning hands and surfaces before handling foods.
Young children around the preschool age usually are ready to take on simple tasks. Always remember safety first and pay close attention to them in the kitchen.
Kitchen tasks:
- Clear tabletops
- Use cookie cutters
- Mix simple ingredients
- Use a plastic knife to cut soft fruits or vegetables on a cutting board
- Craft shapes and funny fruit faces (try the Food Group Funny Face from our previous post) using fruits and vegetables
Image adapted from Family Nutrition Program, KSU https://www.kidsacookin.org/breads/Food-Group-Funny-Face.pdf
For children aged 6 – 7, they have developed fine motor skills and are ready to take on more detailed tasks.
Kitchen tasks:
- Crack egg into a bowl
- Use a vegetable peeler
- Deseed peppers and tomatoes
- Shuck and rinse corn
- Use blunt scissors to cut herbs
Wow-y Maui Pasta Salad
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Serving size: 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dry whole-wheat rotini (spiral) pasta (8 oz)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen snow peapods, sliced thinly on an angle (julienned)
- ½ cup cucumber, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks in juice, diced; set aside ¼ cup juice
- ½ cup fat-free plain yogurt
- 1 Tbsp fresh chives, rinsed, dried, and chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, rinsed, dried, and chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
*Children can help peel the cucumber and carrots and use blunt scissors to cut chives and parsley.
Directions:
- In a 4-quart saucepan, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, cool, and set aside.
- In the meantime, place peapods in a microwavable dish, add enough water to keep moist, and microwave for 1–2 minutes, or until warm.
- Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl, and toss gently.
- Add cooked pasta and peapods, and toss gently to coat the pasta.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for later use.
Recipe adapted from: NHLBI Healthy Eating Recipe
The information on age appropriate tasks is adapted from Teaching Kids to Cook and the infographic of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: https://www.eatright.org/food/resources/eatright-infographics/kid-friendly-kitchen-tasks-infographic
Do you have any questions regarding engaging kids in the kitchen? Let us know by commenting below!
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