Cooking with Preschoolers

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When I was teaching Pre-k years ago, we made several recipes in class. I had no access to a kitchen, though, so I had to be creative. After a couple years of playing around, I found out what worked (homemade ice cream: yum!) and what didn’t (pumpkin smoothies: yuk!).

Whether cooking in the classroom or with my little girls at home, with younger ages I found it worked best when I kept it simple. Little ones can absolutely take part in more difficult creations, and they certainly should, but it’s even more fun when they can make a recipe all by themselves!

Cooking Skills Your Preschooler Can Learn

Cutting. Your little one can cut soft fruits such as bananas with a plastic knife or a smooth butter knife. My seven year old still calls one of our little “fancy” butter knives her knife because she knew it was the only one she was allowed to use when she was little.

Spreading. Peanut butter on crackers, jelly on bread, mayonnaise on sandwiches, frosting on cupcakes. It’s messy, but worth it! My youngest daughter makes her own sandwich several days a week at lunch time. It does take a little longer than if I were to do it, but those couple extra minutes are nothing compared to the skills she’s developing.

Mixing. Isn’t this every kid’s favorite part? All you need is a big old bowl, a wooden spoon, and some ingredients that need to be mixed. Even a three year old can learn to stir slowly and with control.

Cracking eggs. As soon as your child is old enough to stop sticking their fingers in their mouth, they will love cracking eggs. I still have Soleil crack eggs into a separate bowl before we use them so we can check for any shells.

Rinsing Fruits and Vegetables. Remember the days when watching water sprinkle through a colander was fun? She can rinse and scrub produce and if she’s anything like my daughters were at that age, she will keep cleaning as long as you let her just to keep her hands in the water. Water play at its simplest

Measuring. Flour, sugar, even plain water works for learning how to measure!

Rolling out dough. Fun with play dough, even more fun with real dough!

Kid-Friendly Recipes

Ants on a Log. Celery with peanut butter or cream cheese, and raisins sprinkled on top. Classic!

Snack Mix. You can use nuts, dried fruits, cereals, crackers, mini pretzels, animal crackers, or whatever else is in your pantry that will work. Let your kiddo measure out a spoonful of each and mix it all together. Instant snack!

Pinwheels. Rolled-up sandwiches made on tortillas or wrap bread, then sliced into pin wheels.

Mini Pizzas. You can use English muffins, French bread, individual pizza crusts, or even a slice of bread and let your little one spread on sauce and add toppings. Don’t forget to make a happy face out of your veggies on top!

Fruit salad. After she chops her bananas, you can add some mandarin orange slices, grapes, diced apples, or whatever fruit is in the house. Yum!

Graham Crackers with Frosting. My mom used to make this for us, and to this day I cannot smell butter cream frosting without remembering our old house! As a matter of fact, you can spread frosting on pretty much anything and have an instant dessert. Nut butters also work well on graham crackers.

Tips for Cooking with Preschoolers

Get them in the habit early on of washing their hands, pulling their hair back, and wearing an apron. Soon, it will be second nature.

Teach safety first! Here are some good tips on safety for kids in the kitchen.

Let them get their hands dirty! Kneading bread, sticking a finger in frosting, sprinkling spices into a pot… so much of cooking is about touching and experiencing the food in different ways. Let your little one sniff, taste, and touch to her heart’s delight.

Don’t freak out if they spill or make a mistake. Enjoying the process is so much more important than turning out a perfect recipe, especially at this age.

Help them clean up afterward. Cleaning up is part of the cooking process, so start ‘em young!

Let her mess up. Though your girl will need much supervision and plenty of instruction, there is a time to back off and let her do her thing. Maybe she’ll over-mix, or under-mix, but imperfect biscuits made all by herself is better than a perfect fluffy biscuit that you took over and made for her.

What is your favorite thing about cooking with your preschoolers?

Angela can be found writing about the art of being home at Homegrown Mom