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Article published August 2026, written by Christine Zellers, MPP and Anneliese Kuemmerle, MS, RDN
Summer is winding down and it is almost time to head back to school. As we squeeze in the last of our summer activities, it is a great time to invite children into the kitchen. Before back-to-school routines kick in, we can spend quality time together practicing packing lunches, making healthy snacks, and helping with family meals. The kitchen is a great classroom! Whether children are choosing a vegetable at the grocery store, washing salad ingredients, or stirring batter, they are building skills that will help them throughout life.
The benefits of cooking with children go beyond just the meal or snack made. Research shows that children are more likely to try new fruits and vegetables when they help choose and/or prepare them. Studies also show that children who help cook are more likely to try new foods, enjoy vegetables, and eat meals they help make. Hands-on cooking experiences have also been shown to increase children’s knowledge about food. Cooking together creates opportunities for children to build confidence, to bond with family members, and to develop healthy eating habits that last into adulthood. Time in the kitchen also creates opportunities to share family recipes and celebrate cultural traditions.
Helping in the kitchen can also reinforce and build your child’s skills in reading, math, and science. Children can increase their vocabulary by reading recipes. Measuring ingredients is a great opportunity to practice math skills for children of all ages. Younger children can practice counting, and older children can learn about fractions, unit conversions, multiplication, and division. There are many opportunities to explore science concepts by observing physical and chemical changes that happen to food throughout the cooking process.
One of the easiest ways to start out getting children involved in the kitchen is to invite them in when you cook. To help make kitchen time a positive experience, choose a day when everyone is well rested, and start out with recipes that have five or less ingredients and feature foods your child already enjoys. Expect a little mess along the way! Cooking is a skill that develops with practice over time. Start with food safety as the first part of every cooking lesson! Emphasize hand washing, cleaning work surfaces, and keeping raw meat and seafood separate from fruits and vegetables.
Children develop kitchen skills at their own pace but knowing which kitchen tasks are generally recommended based on your child’s age can help guide you. Children can begin helping in the kitchen as early as 3 to 5 years old. Preschoolers can help wash fruits and vegetables, tear lettuce for salads, help build sandwiches, and stir together ingredients. Children ages 6 to 7 can help with tasks that use their fine motor skills, like measuring and pouring ingredients, cracking eggs, and peeling produce. By ages 8 and 9, many children are ready to use a can opener, check food temperatures with a food thermometer, and help with clean-up by putting away leftovers. By ages 10 to 12, children can work more independently and start following recipes, baking and simmering foods, and using the microwave.
The end of summer offers plenty of opportunities to explore new fruits and vegetables to bring into the kitchen. Try a trip to a farm stands and farmers’ market and ask your child to choose one fruit or vegetable that they have never tasted before. Continue the adventure by inviting them into the kitchen to help prepare it. By the time school starts, they may be ready to help pack healthier lunches, make their own after school snack, and take on an active role in family meals.
Recipe: Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 1 cup oats (quick-cooking or old fashioned rolled)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup raisins
Directions
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- Rinse or scrub fresh fruits under running water before preparing.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, mash bananas with a fork until mostly smooth.
- Add oats, cinnamon, vanilla and raisins. Mix well.
- Drop the dough with a teaspoon onto the baking sheet. Flatten dough with the back of a spoon or bottom of a drinking glass.
- Bake 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.
Notes
- Texture will be best when freshly made.
- Try dried cranberries or chopped nuts instead of raisins.
Recipe from Food Hero, view online at: https://foodhero.org/recipes/banana-oatmeal-cookies