Kids in the Kitchen
One of the best ways to develop a love of veg in kids is to get them involved in the prep. Not only is cooking an essential life skill for kids to learn, but it’s a great, fun way to get them engaging with healthy foods!
One of the best ways to develop a love of veg in kids is to get them involved in the prep. Not only is cooking an essential life skill for kids to learn, but it’s a great, fun way to get them engaging with healthy foods!
Let’s cook
Getting kids to love veg through cooking
Helping kids love veg starts with letting them help. The more children handle veg, fruit and beans – touching, smelling, chopping, stirring – the more confident they become eating them.
If cooking together feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. Many parents worry about mess, time and safety. But it doesn’t need to be all-or-nothing. Our experts break it down into small, easy steps, plus our Kitchen Ninja challenge gives kids a fun goal to work toward.
Here’s how to make cooking with kids simple, positive and stress-free.
Start Small
Give them one job: washing, whisking, weighing, pouring, or grating (if safe). A little involvement goes a long way, and they’ll soon want to do more. You don’t have to do it all at once. If you aren’t sure where to start, try our Kitchen Ninja list and choose one job you can teach them they can own!
Don’t forget to tell the family they helped make dinner. It boosts pride and willingness to try the veg they helped prepare.
Dress up!
A chef’s hat, apron or even an old T-shirt as their “chef outfit” can transform the experience and signal that this is fun time, not chore time.
Dressing up is how the play starts…
Play, play, play!
Children want adults to play, so play! An easy way is with a few words that brings you into the story – for example you can call your child “chef” or “master chef” and even ask them to make up their own chef’s name. Shouting “Chef, yes, chef!” across the kitchen can easily help a child enjoy their involvement in the cooking “game”.
Encourage them to name the dish or invent a character. Tiny bits of silliness create huge buy-in.
Use your senses
Food is all about stimulating the senses. Ask children how something smells, how it looks, how it feels, sounds and tastes, the more imagination the better! Let an upside-down pepper become a tiny umbrella, a spoonful of peas become priceless “green pearls”, or a carrot become a rocket with full countdown and blast off sequences.
Want to know more engaging children through their senses?
Praise Praise Praise
There are two important points of praise:
Whenever the child helps or tries, praise them (and don’t forget to tick the skill off on your Kitchen Ninja wallchart!)
When you serve the food (let them help you with plating up the food – have fun by making it look pretty, silly or tasty), make sure to mention to everyone that the child made this dish.
Cook safely
Does worry about safety in the kitchen keep you from including your kids in food prep? A few simple rules help kids feel capable and calm and set you up for safety success – see our simple guide to find them.
Let's get started
Explore our family-favourite recipes with built-in “Kids in the Kitchen” steps, so little chefs can join in without stress.
Do you have a question you’d like one of our experts to help you with?
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