4 Tips To Encourage Your Kids to Help You Cook

You love the idea of having your kids join you in the kitchen, but what if they don’t really want to? Here’s four tips to try to spark an interest without being pushy.

I have two children, and one doesn’t feel the need to be in the kitchen all the time like my other child. So by default, he cooks a lot less. I’ve tried a few things to keep him engaged in cooking so that his knowledge of food and cooking continues to grow, even if it’s not his passion. Here’s a few of those ideas:

1. Keep offering opportunities. Ask often, “do you want to come cook with me?” Be okay with the majority answer being “no” but welcome every yes!

2. Ask for help on a specific task, such as “could you help roll out this dough and put sauce and cheese on it?” rather than “can you help make pizza?” It just sounds a little more fun this way (and it’s rare a kid doesn’t love to touch dough.)

3. Ask them to help cook when they are hungry. Maybe this is a little controversial. BUT my kids tend to try more foods when they are cooking than they would at a meal time. So sometimes I ask for a fruit or veggie cutter right before dinner…which quickly translates into a fruit and veggie eater.

4. Give them a fun title like “Official Taste Tester” and let them try everything you’re cooking, like pasta noodles to make sure they are done, sauces see if they need any additional seasonings, or cookie dough before it goes in the oven.

Is this helpful? If you think so, save this post for later! What other ways do you use to get your kiddos cooking?