Category: cooking with kids

I love cooking with kids. Yes, it’s messy. Everything takes longer. But cooking together builds wonderful bonds. Kids who cook with loving adults learn a lot about practical life skills. They can develop a better understanding of healthy eating. They gain a sense of independence and capability. Most of all, cooking with kids is fun. Kids are so eager to take things on themselves. As the person helping them, you get to learn about their personalities and strengths.

If you want to connect with the children in your life, why not try heading to the kitchen? Whether you make toast or souffle, you are doing something together.

So whether you’re interested in cooking with a toddler or school-aged child, here are some posts to inspire. From practical ideas for getting in the kitchen together to a roundup of books featuring food themes, check out ideas and tips to help you get cooking with a kid you love. If you have another idea relating to family cooking, share it here!

February 6, 2019

A Roundup of Valentine Food Ideas Shaped in Hearts

Take your roses and / fancy rings, I just want all / of the heart-shaped things! It’s almost Valentine’s, and here’s the truth: whether you’re nine or 99, cutting food in heart shapes is a great way to celebrate. So come get inspired! From pizza to PB + J, here are eight creative Valentine food ideas shaped in hearts!

Is food more romantic when it’s cut in a heart shape? Who knows, but it sure is more fun. Wherever you find yourself this Valentine’s Day–in a relationship or not, with a group of friends or home with Netflix–if you have to eat on February 14, you may as well smile as you do. Grab a cookie cutter or get creative: plan to try any of the below Valentine’s food ideas you can cut in heart shapes!

December 3, 2018

Simple, No-Chill Sugar Cookies for Baking with Kids

When you’re looking for a fun, kid-friendly project this month, say hello to simple, no-chill sugar cookies. You can blend them in a food processor (and let kids press “pulse”), roll out the dough without chilling it (and let kids cut out shapes) and be enjoying fresh-baked treats within an hour. The ingredients are unrefined, the process is doable and, even better, the recipe is so short, you can memorize it.

When it comes to baking with kids–in December or any time of year–the process is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Or, to put it more accurately, 2, 1, 1/2.Read More

July 19, 2018

Deep Dish Sourdough Pizza (a Kid-Friendly Dinner)

All the love to the lazy recipe from the archives, but this deep dish sourdough pizza is the new Friday favorite. It’s simple enough to involve the kids in dinner prep–yet naturally leavened to boot.

A tradition that started back in an early 2018 snowstorm is still going strong, now, in July’s blazing temps. Maybe that’s because Friday night pizza means a mental break from meal planning. In January, it began with this lazy recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen: a foolproof option that takes maybe 15 minutes to pull together, yields a hefty cracker crust and holds up confidently beneath mounds of meat, veggies and cheese. But, after months (!) of that happy dinner each week, along came sourdough. Life’s never been the same–and that includes pizza night.Read More

February 23, 2018

11 Kids’ Books about Food to Inspire You to the Kitchen

This roundup of 11 kids’ books about food is part of a series of articles on cooking with kids. Reading kids’ books about food with a child you love is a great way to inspire cooking projects and provide a roadmap for spending time in the kitchen together. With that in mind, here are 11 books worth exploring. If you have your own story or experience to share on the topic of cooking with kids, contact me here.

As recently explored in the post, “5 Reasons to Bake Pretzels with Walter the Baker,” there are so many reasons to cook with kids, from growing life skills to educating about healthy choices. But pair this activity with books about food relating to your cooking projects, and it’s doubly valuable.

That’s because, according to Casey Byrne, Reading Recovery teacher at Glenview Elementary School in Nashville, when it comes to literacy, the more exposure you give a child to books, the better. Read More

February 8, 2018

5 Reasons to Bake Pretzels with Walter the Baker

This post on five reasons to bake pretzels with Walter the Baker is part of a series of articles on cooking with kids. Cooking with kids forges bonds, grows skills and makes the world of food more fun–but, for many busy parents, knowing how and when to include kids in the kitchen isn’t obvious. // Do you have a story or suggestion from your own experience to share? Contact me here.

Cooking with kids is a hot topic today. It discourages picky palates, according to registered dietician and freelance nutrition journalist Janet Helm, who says “children are much more likely to try something new if they’ve had a hand at preparing it.” Getting kids in the kitchen can grow math and vocabulary skills, according to children’s health and development site KidsHealth. Even British celebrity chef and restaurateur Jaime Oliver, advocated for it, in his 2010-11 ABC TV series, Food Revolution, while he tried to reform American school lunch programs and change kids’ eating habits.

But, as with many good ideas, the biggest challenge is knowing where to start. So here’s a suggestion: Bake pretzels with Walter the Baker.Read More