My Best Tips For Cooking With Kids

This post on cooking with kids is sponsored by Blue Apron. Find a discount code at the bottom of the post!!

Get in the kitchen with your little ones and start making some fun memories. These helpful tips for cooking with kids will make the experience a success for both you and your mini cook!

My cooking experiences with Britton are some of my most treasured moments. As soon as he started showing interest in cooking, this mama was thrilled. Whether it be a simple offer to mix things up, wash things off or even set the table – I love his helpful nature. And I know when he’s much older I will miss our cooking adventures. So that’s why I’m always looking for any chance for us to get our chef hats on!

So when our Blue Apron box arrived this week and I saw the Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas recipe, I knew Britton and I were the perfect team to cook them up!

If you have often wanted to cook with your little ones but wasn’t sure how to introduce the idea, I have some tips. Through trial and error, I’ve learned how to make cooking with Britton a success – most of the time!

So let me start with my first tip for cooking with kids…

Choose A Good Time

Selecting a time that works for both Britton and I is crucial. If I’m too busy or distracted, the whole cooking process becomes frustrating and overwhelming. And that totally defeats the point of cooking with my baby boy.

And if Britton is tired, grouchy or just plain in a not-gonna-do-it mood then cooking is definitely saved for another day. I want our time together in the kitchen to be a positive experience so I plan my day accordingly and we try to cook when it’s best for us. 🙂

Give Easy Tasks

For my little five year old, cooking is kinda like playtime. So I want to keep cooking fun by giving him easy, manageable tasks to do. (Of course the tasks are always safe.) I want him to feel successful while slowly giving him more challenging steps to try.

So often before cooking, I will scan the recipe and single out activities he will be able to do. Creating the side salad was totally doable for my guy! He helped me make the dressing and chop the lettuce. Which leads me to another great tip for cooking with kids, having the right equipment for little ones.

Use the Right Tools

We all know cooking is not easy if you don’t have the right tools. This is especially true for younger cooks! So Britton has his own set of safety knives and a cooking step stool.

Both of these items help him complete cooking tasks with ease, while putting safety first. He absolutely loves to chop lettuce. Can you tell? He even has a special karate chop move he likes to use. 🙂 With just a little of my guidance he was able to completely assemble the whole salad. He was so proud and so was his mama!

Keep It Fun

Once we finished making our cheesy quesadillas, Britton came up with an idea. ‘Let’s make them kiss, Mom!’ Ok – sure. Why not, Britton. I’m pretty sure quesadillas love to smooch! 🙂

My goal is to keep the kitchen a fun place so he will want to come back and cook with me again. If it takes kissing quesadillas to make that happen – I can do that! So don’t forget to add some play into the kitchen time as well.

Try a Kid-Friendly Recipe

The best part about cooking is eating the food, am I right?! So of course, I always pick a recipe that is not only easy to make but any kid would love to eat. And Blue Apron’s recipe cards are perfect for little cooks like Britton.

The step by step directions along with the pictures, help us ‘read’ the card together. So while he’s cooking, Mom is sneaking in some reading too. 🙂 It’s the teacher in me – can’t help myself.

So now when the Blue Apron box arrives at our door, I don’t know who is more excited. Britton, who knows there’s another fun meal to cook. Or me, who knows there’s several dinners I don’t have to plan! 🙂

If you want to hop into the kitchen with your little cook and give Blue Apron a try, click HERE to check out this week’s menu at BlueApron.com and save $60 off your first three boxes.