70 Kids Cooking Activities- Ways You Can Get Your Child Involved in the Kitchen

70 Kids cooking activities - that's what I've come up with as ways to inspire you to get your kids involved in the kitchen!  Our site is filled with 100's of cooking ideas, recipes and activities. Here are easy ways you can help your children get involved in the kitchen with you.

Some of my favorite childhood memories come from my time spent with my mom or sisters and brothers in the kitchen. I loved it when mom would ask me to stir a pot on the stove. I know my siblings love it when I ask them now to stir the stuff on the stove. My mom would also assign us different chores to do to help get ready for meal time. One person was in charge of actually making the meal while the others would have to set the table, empty the dishwasher, clean up the kitchen and so on.

What I've come to learn is that kids cooking activities don't have to just involve actual cooking. There are so many other tasks going on in a kitchen that a child is more than capable of handling. That is what this list is all about. It includes many different ideas of ways that you can occupy your child in the kitchen. And, if you want this kids cooking activities list in printable format, sign up for a FREE copy. That way you can print it off and put it on your fridge to remind you of little ways your kids can help you!

70 Simple Cooking with Kids Activities

1. Spray with Pam the cooking pans, skillet
2. Wipe off counters
3. Roll cookie dough
4. Put muffin liners in muffin pans
5. Measure out ingredients carefully
6. Get out the measuring cups and spoons
7. Set out all ingredients that you need for a recipe
8. Cut up vegetables for a salad
9. Make a pitcher of water for the table
10. Set out the dinner plates
11. Set out silverware
12. Fix the drinks for the meal
13. Stir the pot on the stove
14. Crack eggs
15. Grate cheese
16. Knead the dough
17. Set out the mixer
18. Set out mixing bowls
19. Set out spices
20. Clean the microwave
21. Spray the counters with a cleaner
22. Sweep the floor
23. Mop the floor
24. Wipe the cupboards off
25. Clean out the toaster
26. Butter the toast
27. Make scrambled eggs
28. Clean out the cupboards
29. Clean out the drawers
30. Organize the fridge
31. Wash the fridge exterior
32. Put the hot pads in the laundry
33. Get out fresh was cloths
34. Set out napkins for the meal
35. Wipe off the outside of the oven
36. Rinse out the sink
37. Wash the dishes
38. Put dishes in the dishwasher
39. Dry the dishes
40. Put big dishes away
41. Stir the flour mixture (of whatever you're making)
42. Stir the batter
43. Set out the salad dressing
44. Get out a big spoon/knife to serve the main dish
45. Set out plates for the meal
46. Set the timer for what needs to go in the oven
47. Fill a pot with water if you need to boil noodles
48. Open cans
49. Open packages of ingredients
50. Wipe off front of dishwasher
51. Rinse off vegetables
52. Rinse off fruit
53. Wash potatoes
54. Start the dishwasher
55. Put groceries away
56. Form hamburger patties
57. Put fries on a cookie sheet
58. Help plan out a menu for a week of meals
59. Pour muffin batter into the muffin cups
60. Cut out the cookie dough
61. Drop biscuits on the cookie sheet
62. Put vegetables in a pot to cook with water
63. Help dish up dinner
64. Empty the table of the dishes
65. Preheat the oven
66. Empty the dishwasher
67. Soak pots and pans that are hard to wash
68. Put leftovers in containers and put in the fridge
69. Wipe off the spices and put away
70. Refill and wipe off the flour and sugar containers/canisters.

So, hopefully you'll take this list and apply it to your kitchen. You'll actually probably be amazed at just how helpful kids can be in the kitchen. And you're kids are actually going to be having fun while they are helping you (they probably won't even realize that they are doing work!) It's a win-win situation for everyone. I wish you many happy times in the kitchen with your family!

Kids cooking activities list in printable format, sign up for a FREE copy.

Age Appropriate Cooking Tasks

While it is important to get kids into the kitchen, there are some activities that are for older kids. Just like the current board games, children who are old enough to understand what is going on should only do certain activities. These age groups may vary for different children based on experience, but here is a basic guideline for progression.

2-3 years old - Simple mixing skills using a spoon, whisk or hands, gathering supplies from the refrigerator and pantry, opening packaging and assisting with meal planning.

3-5 years old - Cracking eggs, simple heating instruction (learning what types of heat and how much are appropriate for different foods), basic chopping skills using nylon or plastic, blunt-tip knife, non-heated food prep and combining ingredients.

5-9 years old - Advanced cutting techniques, parent-assisted cooking with heat and simple meal preparation (such as pancakes, pasta or grilled cheese).

9+ years old - By this time, children should be fully functional and know their way around the kitchen and how to use various tools. At this point, your sous-chef should be fully functional.

Check out our kids cooking lessons for lessons geared towards age appropriate tasks. Our available in the Kids Cooking Lesson Manual

Teach Proper Skills: Build a Strong Culinary Foundation

Just like lifting weights, learning to cook should follow a progressive path-starting with the basics and gradually building on them. Imagine trying to bake a soufflé before you've even mastered how to separate an egg. Chances are, it would collapse faster than a pancake. But that's exactly why it's so important to teach kids the right skills in the right order.

Learning the fundamentals correctly from the beginning saves time, prevents frustration, and builds confidence. Cooking is a skill that stacks- just like math or music. You wouldn't try algebra without knowing addition and subtraction, and you shouldn't expect a child to julienne carrots if they haven't yet learned how to hold a knife safely.
Start with simple, essential tasks and progress in complexity:

Skill Progression Examples:

• Washing & peeling ➜ Chopping ➜ Dicing ➜ Julienning
• Measuring with cups ➜ Reading a recipe ➜ Understanding portion sizes ➜ Scaling a recipe up or down
• Making a sandwich ➜ Tossing a salad ➜ Sautéing vegetables ➜ Cooking a full meal

Each step sets the foundation for the next. As kids gain confidence and control, they'll be able to try more complex techniques without feeling overwhelmed.

Why Proper Skills Matter:

• Prevents bad habits that are hard to unlearn later.
• Reinforces sequencing and logic- crucial cognitive development tools.
• Builds independence, responsibility, and self-reliance.
• Improves attention to detail, timing, and safety awareness.

As instructors or parents, it's important to model skills intentionally and offer just the right amount of guidance. Demonstrate slowly, explain the "why" behind each action, and give kids a chance to practice -then repeat until they're ready to level up.

Tip: Create a visual skills checklist or cooking level chart to track a child's progress through basic, intermediate, and advanced skills. This helps them feel a sense of accomplishment as they grow.

By teaching proper skills in a thoughtful, step-by-step way, you're not just showing a child how to cook- you're empowering them to succeed in the kitchen for life.

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