In Family Friendly Recipes – Kids in the Kitchen, the Guelph Family Health Study puts together some great tips for cooking with children of all ages, along with providing some great healthy recipes for families.
Children are great imitators they see their parents as role model and often want to follow what their parents are doing, may it be the way you walk, talk, the foods you eat, they even match the color of the clothes you wear.
It is important to be a good role model for your children, one way to do this is by teaching young children to cook,
this encourages them to continue this habit throughout the rest of their life.
By: Guelph Family Health Study
Sample text from Family Friendly Recipes – Kids in the Kitchen
Teaching children to cook while they are young encourages them to continue this habit throughout life. As a parent, you are your child’s most important role model. Choose healthy foods for yourself and
eat together as a family. Here are some ideas adapted from EatRight Ontario for getting your children involved in meal preparation:
Cooking with 2–3 year olds
Very young children like to explore with their senses of sight, touch, smell, hearing and tasting. They also like to do things on their own. An empty pot on the floor with a spoon keeps their hands busy. Try letting your kids:
- Add items to dishes (like chopped vegetables to a casserole)
- Help find ingredients in the fridge or cupboard
- Wash fruits and vegetables in the sink
Cooking with 3–4 year olds
At this age, children may be more interested in talking than eating! Try letting your kids:
• Pour from a small pitcher or measuring cup
• Make a simple sandwich or pizza with prepared ingredients
• Mash sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots or bananas
• Stir ingredients together (like muffins, pancakes or sauces)
Cooking with 4–6 year olds
At this age, some kids may show signs of being a picky eater. While the food they prepare might not make it to their fork, try to be patient knowing that cooking is helping them warm up to the idea of trying new foods. Try letting your kids:
- Cook with a friend for a fun play date
- Set the table for meals
- Grate cheese with supervision
Contents
Recipes to Make with 2–3 Year Olds:
Blueberry Mini Scones 7
Frozen Yogurt Bark 9
Sunshine Muffins 11
Salad on a Stick 13
Strawberry-Banana Popsicles 15
Recipes to Make with 3–4 Year Olds:
Chocolate-Dipped Oranges 17
Honey & Orange Roasted Carrots 19
Easy Fruit Pizza 21
Salt & Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas 23
Tuna Melts 25
French Toast 27
Recipes to Make with 4–6 Year Olds:
Thai Lettuce Wraps 29
Falafel Burgers &
Sweet Potato Fries 31
Loaded Apple Slices 33
Sweet Potato & Butternut
Squash Soup 35
No-Bake Granola Bars 37
One-Pot Pizza Pasta Bake 39
Teriyaki Salmon 41
Veggie & Cheese Quesadillas 43
See more books like this in our Cookbooks Category.
5 Scary Stories from Edgar Allen Poe – Halloween special feature - Edgar Allen Poe is undoubtedly the master of scary stories and this collection will leave you with no doubt as to the author's mastery of the macabre.
Pluton and Lucky – The Backyard Adventure - Pluton & Lucky: The Backyard Adventure introduces Pluton, a brave and playful beagle, and Lucky, his curious little tabby cat brother. Together, they turn an ordinary day in the backyard into a fun-filled adventure full of discovery, imagination, and brotherly friendship.
Bino Dino’s Colouring Adventures - Bino Dino is a friendly dinosaur who loves to explore, make new friends, and discover new places. He enjoys adventure, never gives up, is always kind, and believes in big dreams. Colour in with Bino Dino and his friends in this fun packed 50 page colouring book.
A Story of Fire – Book Review - A Story of Fire is about a quest of a young girl, Larissa, accompanied by a magical friend, who takes off in search of the fire her town needs to survive. The sorceress who has always provided the fire is missing from her castle as reported by the messenger bird. Larissa takes on the responsibility ...
Mompreneur Must-Haves: How to Manage Remote Teams Without Disrupting Your Home Life - Juggling the responsibilities of motherhood and a growing online business can look like magic from the outside. Whether you’re launching a children’s book, running a Mom blog, or selling digital products, the right time management recipe is an absolute game-changer. Naturally, as your business expands, so does your remote team. But this doesn’t mean ...
Best Friends - Zindzi and Tim Tam are best friends, they do everything together. But one day, Tim Tam doesn’t come to school. What will Zindzi do? A lesson about sharing and caring.
How to Analyze Poetic Devices in Kids’ Poems - Reading poetry with children opens up creative ways to explore language. Kids naturally react to rhyme, rhythm, and playful sound patterns in short verses. Breaking down these elements helps young readers connect with literature on a deeper level. Teaching poem structure does not have to feel like a difficult chore. Simple strategies make poetic tools ...
Riddles Are the Shortest Stories: A Two-Minute Comprehension Routine for Early Readers - A riddle is a story with the ending withheld. “I have keys but open no locks, space but no room, and you can enter but not go in.” Everything a reader needs is in the sentence, and the work of reading it is exactly the work of reading a paragraph in a book: hold several ...
Rescue Kitty - Rescue Kitty is a heartwarming tale of a young boy who finds a stray calico cat lurking around his house one evening. When she darts away, he wonders if she will return. The next day, he discovers her perched on a woodpile, but she doesn't look so well. Mom steps in to help. Then they find another surprise when a storm sets in, and Cally becomes frantic. Mom and son soon come to the rescue!
How to Build a Word List From a Children’s Book - A child who reads a picture book in a second language will usually be able to retell the plot a week later. Point at a word on page four that she stumbled over at the time and the meaning is gone. Nothing has gone wrong here. A book is very good at teaching a story ...See more activities books for children in our Activities and Crafts category.
5 Scary Stories from Edgar Allen Poe – Halloween special feature - Edgar Allen Poe is undoubtedly the master of scary stories and this collection will leave you with no doubt as to the author's mastery of the macabre. Pluton and Lucky – The Backyard Adventure - Pluton & Lucky: The Backyard Adventure introduces Pluton, a brave and playful beagle, and Lucky, his curious little tabby cat brother. Together, they turn an ordinary day in the backyard into a fun-filled adventure full of discovery, imagination, and brotherly friendship. Bino Dino’s Colouring Adventures - Bino Dino is a friendly dinosaur who loves to explore, make new friends, and discover new places. He enjoys adventure, never gives up, is always kind, and believes in big dreams. Colour in with Bino Dino and his friends in this fun packed 50 page colouring book. A Story of Fire – Book Review - A Story of Fire is about a quest of a young girl, Larissa, accompanied by a magical friend, who takes off in search of the fire her town needs to survive. The sorceress who has always provided the fire is missing from her castle as reported by the messenger bird. Larissa takes on the responsibility ... Mompreneur Must-Haves: How to Manage Remote Teams Without Disrupting Your Home Life - Juggling the responsibilities of motherhood and a growing online business can look like magic from the outside. Whether you’re launching a children’s book, running a Mom blog, or selling digital products, the right time management recipe is an absolute game-changer. Naturally, as your business expands, so does your remote team. But this doesn’t mean ... Best Friends - Zindzi and Tim Tam are best friends, they do everything together. But one day, Tim Tam doesn’t come to school. What will Zindzi do? A lesson about sharing and caring. How to Analyze Poetic Devices in Kids’ Poems - Reading poetry with children opens up creative ways to explore language. Kids naturally react to rhyme, rhythm, and playful sound patterns in short verses. Breaking down these elements helps young readers connect with literature on a deeper level. Teaching poem structure does not have to feel like a difficult chore. Simple strategies make poetic tools ... Riddles Are the Shortest Stories: A Two-Minute Comprehension Routine for Early Readers - A riddle is a story with the ending withheld. “I have keys but open no locks, space but no room, and you can enter but not go in.” Everything a reader needs is in the sentence, and the work of reading it is exactly the work of reading a paragraph in a book: hold several ... Rescue Kitty - Rescue Kitty is a heartwarming tale of a young boy who finds a stray calico cat lurking around his house one evening. When she darts away, he wonders if she will return. The next day, he discovers her perched on a woodpile, but she doesn't look so well. Mom steps in to help. Then they find another surprise when a storm sets in, and Cally becomes frantic. Mom and son soon come to the rescue! How to Build a Word List From a Children’s Book - A child who reads a picture book in a second language will usually be able to retell the plot a week later. Point at a word on page four that she stumbled over at the time and the meaning is gone. Nothing has gone wrong here. A book is very good at teaching a story ...Sponsored Links:
Note – if you sign up through these links, it doesn’t cost you any extra, but FKB receives a small donation, which helps us move towards our aim of
FREE Hardcopies!
All our posts are checked by Grammarly, the FREE online grammar checker (We still receive a donation even if you only sign up for the free account :-):
This site is hosted by Bluehost:
Leave a comment (it won’t be public) if you want help getting your own website cost-effectively.
[…] Family-Friendly Recipes: Kids in the Kitchen– Age-appropriate recipes for younger children. […]
Thank you, I like the way you classified task abilities at the beginnig and the recipes look pretty healthy and delicious.