The Basic Guide To Cooking With Your Kids

April 1, 2025 - By Daphné Cadieux

Temps de lecture 3 minutes

Do your little ones have an interest in food? So why not give them a few tasks when you’re cooking? However, we know that the kitchen can quickly turn from a playground into a battlefield. That’s why today we’re sharing our top tips for getting them involved in the kitchen, while keeping your cool! With the right approach, cooking with your kids will help reinforce their independence, awaken their curiosity and create precious memories. Whatever their age, they can be a great help to you!

Choosing recipes

Go for a simple recipe that you’re already familiar with, and that doesn’t require too many complicated steps. Colorful, interactive dishes are your best bet for keeping them interested and making cooking fun. Here are a few examples:

Patience, patience and… more patience!

This is no time to be in a rush when including the little ones in the preparation of a meal. Choose a moment when you have free time and feel like getting your hands dirty. This will create a more relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. It’s also a good time to lower your standards and practice “letting go”! The recipe won’t be perfect, and that’s just fine!

Adapt the workspace for your kids

There are more and more tools on the market to include your little ones in the kitchen. A stool and adapted knives are must-haves. Your children can then participate in the cutting of certain foods, while reducing your stress factor! Here are a few examples :

Family menu planning

Make meal planning a family activity. Ask your children for their favorite dishes or ask them to choose the vegetable for dinner when you’re at the grocery store. This simple gesture could increase their interest in diversity and help them discover new flavors.

For those evenings when you’re short of inspiration, start a dynamic list now, where you’ll add the family’s favorite recipes as you go along. This idea database will quickly become a golden resource for quick and easy recipes!

Finally, taking the time to enjoy what you’ve cooked as a family is the icing on the cake. It may seem trivial, but sharing a meal allows you to ”share and bond, talk about the day’s events, spend a pleasant moment together and relax”.[1]

Pass on healthy eating habits with pleasure and simplicity!

By making eating a fun and enriching experience for your children, they’ll be inclined to do what you do, and possibly recreate these behaviors in adulthood. What a great legacy!

If you’d like to be guided through this process, or aren’t sure where to start, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with one of our nutritionists.

Happy cooking and creating with your little ones!

[1] Public Health Agency of Canada. 2020. (Canada’s Food Guide) Eat Meals with Others

The Basic Guide To Cooking With Your Kids is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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