Involve children in planning and preparing meals

Involving children in planning and preparing meals teaches them food skills and the importance of healthy eating.

Benefits of involving children in meal planning and preparation

You can teach your children important nutritional skills to prepare them for a lifetime of healthy eating.

By involving children in meal planning and preparation, you can:

• healthy eating habits
• Increase their self-confidence
• Sharing family culture and traditions
• Giving them hands-on learning experiences
• Keep in touch and have fun together
• Encouraging picky people to try the foods they helped prepare
• Laying the foundation for children to learn and improve food skills

Children can learn:

• How do:
  • grocery shop
  • food harvest
  • Build a healthy meal
  • Reduce food waste
• Healthy eating habits and skills
• The importance of healthy food choices
• How does food relate to food culture and traditions

Involving children in planning and preparing meals teaches them other important life skills such as:

• budget
• to organize
• Read the recipe
• Write a grocery list
• The following instructions
• Ingredients Measurement

These real life examples support other skills they are learning such as:

• mathematics
• writing
• reading
• Sciences
• social science

It’s never too late to start teaching your kids food skills.

How to involve children in planning and preparing meals

All family members, including children, can help with age-appropriate nutritional activities.

Planning

Involve the whole family in planning meals and snacks.

Family members can help in different ways by:

• Choose meals or recipes
• Add foods to grocery list
• Inspect refrigerator and cupboards
• Check flyers for healthy foods for sale
• Compile a folder of favorite recipes

to choose

Turn grocery shopping into an educational event. Here are some ideas you can try:

• Let your kids choose new vegetables or fruits
• Ask your kids to find ingredients and choose products
• Ask your kids to choose a new whole grain food to prepare together
• Ask older children to read food labels and help choose healthy foods
• Have young children count the number of vegetables and fruits to add to the cart

plan

Everyone can help prepare meals.

Make it easy by:

• Post your meal plan in the kitchen
• Assign each person a task such as:
  • Table setting
  • Ingredients Measurement
  • Food preparation and making

Age-appropriate meal planning and preparation tasks

When you teach your kids basic food skills, don’t forget to review the kitchen safety rules. Show them how to safely use kitchen utensils like a grater, peeler, or whisk.

Use these age-appropriate ideas to help your little chef succeed in the kitchen.

Children ages 2 to 3 can:

• Count the ingredients
• Add ingredients to bowl
• Wash vegetables and fruits

Children ages 3 to 4 can:

• Helps collect ingredients
• Mix the ingredients in a bowl
• Pour from measuring cups
• Help make a sandwich or pizza
• Mash sweet potatoes or bananas

Children aged 4 to 6 years can:

• set the table
• Stir the ingredients together
• Use a baby knife to cut:
  • tofu
  • soft fruits
  • cooked vegetables

Children ages 6 to 8 can:

• breaks and hits an egg
• Put foods together in a bowl
• Make their breakfast easy
• Use basic kitchen equipment such as a blender or can opener

Children ages 8 to 11 can:

• Use the knife to cut:
  • tofu
  • bread
  • cooked meat
  • Fruits and vegetables are easy to grab
• Preparing and packing their school lunch
• Use the microwave and stove with your help
• Prepare a plate of fresh vegetables or fruits for dinner

Adolescents and pre-teens can:

• Follow more complex recipes
• Gather and mix most of the ingredients
• Be responsible for preparing meals on specific days

Cooking with your children can also be a great time to talk to them about food safety. Review important steps they can take such as washing their hands or adequately cooling cooked food.

Try a family dining adventure

Food is a fun way to bond as a family. Find an activity that fits your schedule.

You can take a family field trip to:

• Go fishing to catch your food
• Shop at the farmers market to discover a variety of fresh foods
• Visit an apple orchard to see how many different types of apples grow

You don’t need to go far for a family dining adventure. Attempt:

• Make a new recipe together
• Watch your favorite cooking show
• Grow your own herbs and vegetables
• Take a cooking class together in your community