10 Tips for Getting Your Kids Engaged in Cooking

Guy's Grocery Games judge Catherine McCord shares her top 10 tips for getting kids interested and involved in cooking.
Cooking with Kids

Learning how to cook with mum and dad

©/Users/Abel/Pictures/Capture One Library/Output/.Kupicoo - 3 gen family 1181.tif

/Users/Abel/Pictures/Capture One Library/Output/.Kupicoo - 3 gen family 1181.tif

More often than not, you hear parents complain that their kids won't eat anything, they're picky and they press their mouths closed at the thought of trying a new food. One of the easiest ways to get kids to become fantastic eaters is by getting them involved in the cooking process. Try out a few of these tips to see how quickly you can turn your resistant eater into a budding chef!

10. Take them grocery shopping with you. Let them pick out a new fruit, vegetable or meat to try with dinner tonight.

9. Look through cookbooks and recipe websites together. Have the kids choose a few recipes they would like to try making.

8. Assign age-appropriate tasks in the kitchen, like measuring ingredients, pressing the button on the food processor or being in charge of the kitchen timer.

7. Taste everything together. Talk about the colors, textures and flavors of ingredients. Then talk about how they're different after being cooked.

6. Start them out young in the kitchen. Give babies and toddlers wooden spoons and measuring cups to play with, as well as appropriate foods to gum or snack on.

5. Provide the kids with their own special tools. This way anytime they go into the kitchen they have their own special mixing spoon to use or their own set of colorful measuring cups.

4. Decorate plain aprons as a weekend art project. Then during the week, the kids will be excited to wear their aprons while cooking and taking ownership of meal making.

3. Start a little garden, even if it's a small basil plant your child nurtures and then uses the leaves to make homemade pesto.

2. Visit your local farmers market to try a variety of seasonal foods. Let kids ask the farmers lots of questions to become food "investigators."

1. Start your own version of Guy's Grocery Games by quickly deciding what to make as you go to the grocery store and what fun spices, herbs and other foods you can add to make it unique and special!

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10 Great Ideas for Getting Your Kids Involved in Grocery Shopping

Guy's Grocery Games judge Catherine McCord shares her top 10 ideas to get kids involved in grocery shopping.