Basic Cooking Skills for Kids by Age (Part 2 Cooking with Your Kids…Without Losing Your Cool)
This is Part Two in our Cooking with Your Kids…Without Losing Your Cool series. Today, I’m sharing cooking skills for kids by age. Developmentally appropriate skills will make success in the kitchen more likely for you and your kids. Basically: how to keep your expectations reasonable. At different ages and developmental stages, some tasks are better than others.
In our first post we talked about:
- Why you should subject yourself to the messy prospect of bringing your kids in the kitchen (hint: it’s really awesome for your kids in many many ways);
- How to prepare yourself;
- Where to start;
- How to keep it safe;
- How to set them (and you!) up for success.
Because remember:
If you are asking your kids to help with something they just aren’t ready to do there WILL be someone laying on the floor and crying
and your kids do not need to see you like that.
Cooking with Your Kids – Cooking Skills for Kids by Age…
These lists of cooking skills by age are just general guidelines.
You know your kid best. Some kids will have the patience and maturity to master these skills quickly and others will need more time.
This is perfectly OK! Go at their pace and you will all have a better experience.
Cooking Skills for Kids ages 2 to 3 years:
- Wash fruits or vegetables in the sink
- Add items to dishes,
- Counting ingredients
- Help find things in the fridge or cupboard
- Put paper cups into muffin tins
Cooking Skills for 3 to 4 year-olds:
- Pour from a small measuring cup
- Help assemble a simple sandwich or pizza
- Mash soft foods:
- cooked vegetables, like potatoes, carrots
- bananas for pancakes or banana bread
- avocados for guacamole
- Remove eggshells from hard-boiled eggs
Cooking Skills for 4 to 6 year-olds:
- Assemble foods:
- trail mix,
- simple sandwiches
- toppings
- Stir ingredients together:
- batter for muffins, cakes, cookies
- pancakes
- sauces
- Talk about where a food comes from
- Slice with a plastic knife:
- soft-cooked vegetables
- soft fruit
- cheese or tofu
- Set the table
- Crack and beat an egg
Check out our post for more ideas!
Cooking Skills for 6 to 8 year-olds:
- Use simple kitchen equipment (with supervision):
- Grater
- Toaster
- Blender
- Can opener
- Toss salad
- Use kid-friendly cookbooks
- Help write:
- list of healthy snacks
- grocery list
Cooking Skills for 8 to 9 year-olds:
- Measure liquid & dry ingredients
- With supervision:
- Use small knife to cut
- Grate and peel cheese and vegetables
- Use microwave and blender
- Mix, roll, and shape cookies
- Knead dough
- Sprinkle, spoon, and mix ingredients
- Assemble foods – like this easy ice cream cake recipe
Cooking Skills for 10 to 11 year-olds:
- Peel, cut, chop, shred, grate vegetables & fruit
- With supervision:
- Use sharper knives
- Use the stove top
- Put trays in the oven
- Use a mandolin to slice
- Follow simple recipes
- Plan a meal
Cooking Skills for Kids Ages 12+:
- Insert and remove food from the oven
- Follow recipes with many ingredients
- Plan a meal for the whole family
- Prepare a meal for the whole family (with supervision, especially at first!)
Kids Cookbooks we Use and Love (- and your kids will, too!):
A great kids cookbook can engage and inspire kids in the kitchen! Below are 4 of our favourites.
- Simply in Season Children’s Cookbook
- Cooking in season is an important skill for every cook – how cool is this cookbook for starting this learning early!
- Star Wars Cookbook: Wookie Cookies
and Other Galactic Recipes
- This Cookbook got our son in the kitchen making fun foods inspired by his favourite movies.
- The Usborne First Cookbook
- Adorable step-by-step drawings can inspire younger cooks.
- Kids’ Fun and Healthy Cookbook
- This is a great cookbook for images – it shows step-by-step photos that help kids know they’re doing the right thing. The recipes are no-fail, too – great for building kitchen confidence!
What’s your experience? What has worked well for you in the kitchen with your kids?
Robin and Ed are a DIY-loving couple with over 25 years of design and build experience. Also, Robin is a Nutritionist and former Registered Dietitian and Ed is an award-winning Business Educator. We share strategies for living a rich life on a DIY budget: creative money-savvy ideas for a stylish home, healthy meals and family fun. Our work has been published in the pages of Do It Yourself, Farmhouse Style and Better Homes & Gardens magazines.
When I was a kid, my mother often got mad at me whenever we cooked together. However all that moments becomes my sweet memories though. Now I sometimes cook with my cousin and I have to control myself to go crazy with him. May be your note “If you are asking your kids to help with something they just aren't ready to do there will be someone laying on the floor and crying” is right for my case.
Haha – sounds like it, Maya!