3 Kid-Friendly Meals to Encourage Cooking Skills

If you’re running out of activities for the kids to help with while home, turn to an activity that can be a bit of a chore. We’re not talking about mopping or dusting (though they did miss the entire right side of the room). No, it’s time to get cooking.

It’s an essential skill we all have to learn eventually. Whether that’s a toddler asked to mix ingredients or a thirty-something touching and cutting raw meat for the first time, you have to learn your way around a kitchen. Make time one evening to teach the kids how to make healthy meals they will enjoy. You don’t have to be an award-winning chef to walk them through recipes everyone will love. Below are three kid-friendly meals to help encourage their cooking skills.

Try these simple but tasty Cheesy Chicken Crunchers. While the oven preheats, have the kids measure out and mix the ingredients for each bowl you will dip the chicken strips into. As the chicken cooks in the oven, it’s a great time to cover thoroughly washing hands and sanitizing surfaces.

If the kids aren’t quite ready (or patient enough) to measure out and prepare ingredients, introduce them to the wonderful world of casseroles. This Myers Texas Taters recipe is dump and bake dream that is full of dairy-goodness.

Southeast Dairy Association - Mac and Cheese Casserole Cups

Macaroni and Cheese is one meal most kids can make once they can reach the pantry cabinet. Try this twist on the childhood classic that adds some baking basics to your kids’ skillset. Once the macaroni is cooked and the cheese mixture ready, spooning the mixture into a muffin tin filled with paper cups will remind them of the next food you make together: cupcakes!

With some kitchen basics, hold pizza nights where everyone can choose their own toppings to stick in the oven or have breakfast for dinner to practice pancake flips and cracking eggs. For ideas on recipes to try with the kids, browse our recipes.