These quick & easy meals kids can make will make your little chef in training’s eyes light up! Even if your kiddo doesn’t want to become a chef, he or she will love helping out in the kitchen. Plus, this is a fantastic opportunity to teach your child about healthy eating habits too.
At What Age Should I Start Cooking with My Kids?
Kids can be a part of cooking younger than you’d imagine. It’s not uncommon for moms to baby-wear their infants as they cook (just be careful around stoves), but even toddlers can get excited about some aspects of cooking, especially when they have a learning tower to see better.
School-aged children may find plenty of options for meals kids can make entirely on their own. There are plenty of recipes out there that they can make without tons of assistance—some of my favorites are listed at the bottom of this post.
5 Helpful Tips To Get Kids Excited About Cooking
- Let your child be in charge. Kids are so used to adults telling them what to do when they are at home, school, or even during sports. Give them the freedom to choose what food they want to prepare. You can lay out a few appropriate options for meals that kids can make, but let them be in the driver’s seat.
- Help them grow a garden. There is nothing more rewarding than making a recipe that comes from ingredients you grew yourself. Whether you make a huge garden, container garden, or grow some fresh herbs in your kitchen, your kids will be excited to help.
- Let them help you. When you are making dinner, let your child come in and help. They will love the time they get to spend with you, plus they will be able to have a wonderful teacher!
- Show your kids that cooking is fun. Even if cooking isn’t your most favorite task around the house, don’t treat it like it’s pure misery. If you do, they will follow your footsteps and mimic you.
- Take your child shopping. Let them help you plan for meals and go to the store to pick out the food. You are never too young to learn how to pick out the perfect fruits or vegetables either. Being part of the entire process will give your child an even greater appreciation for cooking.
9 Meals Kids Can Make For Breakfast
Teaching your children to make breakfast will help you out too. It gives them a responsibility to get up in the morning and start the day, leaving you free to focus on getting yourself ready and out the door!
Fruity Yogurt Parfaits | Creative Green Living
Healthy and full of flavor, these yogurt parfaits are the perfect way to start the day. Kids can add all different types of fruit to make them unique. This is one of the easiest meals kids can make because there is no cooking involved.
Breakfast Toasts | Hot Beauty Health
This isn’t your ordinary toast! Your child can load it up with all their favorite toppings like fruit, avocado, cream cheese, or peanut butter. The best part is they can make something different every day.
Breakfast Kabobs With Maple Fruit Dip | Our Thrifty Ideas
Whether you are a kid or an adult, there is something so appealing about eating anything on a kabob stick. Your kids are going to be ecstatic to help make them.
Bagel With Cream Cheese, Tomato, And Cucumber | Real Simple
Not only does this bagel with cream cheese taste awesome, but they are also super cute too. Kids of all ages will love decorating their bagels to have faces.
English Muffin Breakfast Pizza | Damn Delicious
Not going to lie, even I would love to eat these delicious English muffin breakfast pizzas, so you know that your kiddos are going to go wild about them! Plus, each child can put all their favorite toppings on them—it will soon become one of their favorite meals kids can make.
Microwave Oatmeal | Mom’s Kitchen Handbook
You can always buy the prepackaged individual serving bags, but I love this idea of making your own. You know precisely what is in it, so you can feel good about the food your kids are eating.
Healthy Breakfast Banana Split | Simple Healthy Kitchen
These aren’t your ordinary banana splits that are filled with chocolate, strawberries, and pineapple! They are made with bananas, cottage cheese, fresh fruit, and granola. Yum!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars | 86 Lemons
This recipe is a great way for your child to learn about meal prepping. Put in the work to make the granola bars, and then enjoy them for several days. Plus, they are so good—you will love that your child made them!
Overnight Oats With Strawberries And Chia Seeds | BuzzFeed
These overnight oats can be prepared the night before then devoured in the morning. Recipes like this are perfect for teaching kids to plan ahead a little bit. Mornings are so much easier if you aren’t trying to decide what to make on the fly.
9 Meals Kids Can Make For Lunch
Fruity Peanut Butter Pitas | Food Network
Pita pockets are terrific for lunch because they can be filled with such a large variety of ingredients. I love the idea of adding peanut butter and apples because they will fill you and your child up while also having a healthy, great flavor.
Ham & Cheese Rollups | The Cookie Rookie
Cheese, ham, and seasonings all rolled into a tortilla. You can cut them into bite-sized pieces or eat them whole. Your kiddos can personalize the ingredients to fit what they like.
BLT Wrap | The Spruce Eats
Not only will the kiddos enjoy making their own wraps, but they will also get some yummy nutrients out too. I count this as a win all around. :)
French Bread Pizzas | The Pioneer Woman
You can never go wrong when it comes to pizza and kids! They LOVE to help out and will enjoy picking their own toppings and preparing their pizza. This is one of those meals kids can make that is a perfect snack or lunch option too.
Salad In A Jar | Hello Wonderful
This is the perfect way to encourage your youngsters to eat their salads! It’s so much more fun when you get to be in charge of the ingredients. These are super tasty too.
Peanut Butter Banana Quesadillas | Budget Bytes
This is a perfect lunch to get some fantastic protein into your child’s diet. You might even have your kiddo make one for you too!
Quesadilla Bar | Food Network
Everyone’s eyes will light up when you tell them they get to make their own quesadillas. There is no way they won’t turn out delicious—it’s hard to go wrong with tortillas and cheese.
Baked Potato | Real Simple
I realize your kids may not want to eat broccoli, but if they use it as a topping on a baked potato, they may change their tune. Especially if they are the ones that prepare them.
5-Minute Mac & Cheese | Picky Palate
Macaroni and cheese is a favorite of kids and adults all over the world. You may have to help boil the noodles, but the kids can do all the rest. So yummy!
10 Meals Kids Can Make For Dinner
Mini Lasagnas | Catching Fireflies
These mini lasagnas are full of flavor, easy to make, and a blast! Marinara, wonton wrappers, and ricotta cheese are the main ingredients in this scrumptious recipe.
Taco Pizza | Life In The Lofthouse
Taco pizza is the best of both worlds—two of everyone’s favorite dinners all rolled into one. Your children can get as creative as they want and will be so proud of their hard work.
Hot Dog Nuggets | Lil’ Luna
These are such an easy meal for kids to make. It will keep their hands busy, and they will end up with a yummy dinner idea the whole family will love.
Cheeseburger Cups | Delish
These cheeseburger cups even make me hungry! They are perfect for little fingers to make. Note: if your kids are younger, they may need help getting the pan in and out of the oven.
Curried Egg Salad On Naan | Kitchn
If your child wants to be a chef, then this is the perfect recipe to try out! It’s packed with flavor, easy and is kid-friendly. It’s a hit all the way around.
Tater Tot Casserole | My Baking Addiction
This classic dish is ideal for teaching your beginning chef his or her way around the kitchen. The only warning I have is that you probably aren’t going to have leftovers as these are so delicious, lol.
Shrimp Stir Fry | Damn Delicious
You can’t help but feel like a legit chef when you make something like this. The best part is that it’s easy enough for kids to make on their own.
Zucchini Boats | Lil’ Luna
Watch out—these zucchini boats are highly addictive. Each kid can decorate their own with all their favorite toppings. Some ideas are cheese, hamburger, or pepperoni. They will barely know they are eating a veggie!
Grilled Ham, Cheese, Pickle, and Potato Chip Sandwich | Joy The Baker
This is exactly the kind of dinner you would expect your kids to make on their own. Guess what! It’s actually pretty impressive and delicious.
Turkey Broccoli Cheddar Panini | Shutterbean
Kids are way more likely to eat their veggies when it’s their own idea. This sandwich is drool-worthy and will get them excited about eating their broccoli.
I hope this collection of meals kids can make inspires you to find new and creative ways to get your little ones involved in the kitchen. And who knows? Maybe you’ll raise the next Top Chef!
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