Holiday Cooking with Kids

The holidays are a perfect time to get kids cooking! When children help out in the kitchen, they  develop important skills they will use for the rest of their lives. It can also help kids learn to choose healthy meals and snacks. In this month's blog, we breakdown tasks that are appropriate for kids at all age levels (with adult supervision, of course) and easy holiday recipes to make together as a family. Keep reading to learn more!

Before You Get Started

• Start simple. Make recipes with a few steps until you learn what your child can do.
• Know your kid. Adjust the tasks you assign based on your child's skills. Only you will know when your child is ready to use adult knives, the oven, and stove.
• Supervise. Make sure kids know the rules for safety from the start. Only allow children to cook with an adult around.
  

• Be patient. Avoid taking over tasks. Give children time to learn and make mistakes. Let them master simple tasks before moving on to complex ones.

• Have fun! Things are sure to get messy, but that's OK. Enjoy this time together as a family.

Kids 2 years old and younger can:

• Watch you cook from some place safe (highchair, playpen, or bouncer)
• Play with plastic measuring cups, spoons, and containers
• Learn to say the names and colors of foods
  
• Smell foods and taste small amounts of foods safe for young children
• Scoop and pour dry ingredients like dried beans and rice

Kids 3 - 5 years old can:

• Wash fresh fruits and vegetables
• Tear, snap, or break foods
• Pluck fruits and leaves from stems
• Help stir ingredients in a bowl like in this Sweet and Salty Trail Mix
• Arrange foods on a plate
• Peel oranges and bananas for Banana Bread or Chocolate Dipped Bananas
• Squeeze juice from citrus fruits to make Fruit Dip
  
• Use a cookie cutter
• Help set the table for dinner
• Scrape and rinse plates

Kids 6 - 8 years old can:

• Read a recipe
• Measure ingredients
• Crack and beat eggs
• Peel fruits and veggies for recipes like Simple Roasted Carrots
• Grate cheese and vegetables
• Mash foods like potatoes for Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes or apples for Applesauce
• Scoop batter to make muffins like these Blueberry Muffins
• Cut soft foods with a plastic or dull butter knife
  
• Dry and put away dishes
  

Kids 9 - 13 years old can:

• Open cans to make these delicious Dark Chocolate Black Bean Brownies
• Use electric tools like blenders and mixers
• Drain cooked pasta or veggies in a colander like in this Green Beans with Tomatoes and Basil
• Remove trays from the oven using oven mitts
• Work with small paring knives to cut foods like collards for our Smothered Greens
• Wash dishes by hand or load a dishwasher
  

When all other skills are mastered, let your child:

• Follow recipes and make simple meals by themselves
• Cook on a stove top with medium heat to make recipes like Homemade Eggnog

Remember: Every child is different! Yours may be ahead of or behind these suggestions. You know your child best.

Want More Information?

• Find more kid friendly kitchen tasks from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Get healthy, budget friendly Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa recipes from SNAP-Ed Connection
• Read our 7 healthy holiday swaps and 10 healthy baking hacks for tips to make your family's favorite holiday foods a little bit healthier.