As parents, it can be challenging to find ways to involve our children in the kitchen without creating chaos or making a mess. However, with these carefully curated kitchen activities, you can transform mundane tasks into engaging experiences that will have your kids eagerly volunteering to help out during mealtime.
Getting children engaged and having fun in these kitchen activities can help develop their interest in baking and cooking from young, which is beneficial to childhood development. Whether it's decorating cookies or assembling colourful lunchboxes, there's something on this list for every young aspiring chef.
Continue reading as we uncover some fun activities that will not only keep your kids entertained but also develop their skills in the kitchen and foster a love for cooking and baking.
Cut fruits and vegetables into different shapes
This is a fun and super easy kitchen activity, especially for younger kids. Moreover, research on child-friendly shaped fruit and vegetables show that they play a role in children’s perception of these foods as being “fun” and may encourage children to try (and eat) more of them. So if you’ve been struggling to get your kids to eat more fruits and veges, this is the perfect activity to try with them. Not only will it encourage kids to eat more of these nutritious foods, but it will also help younger children develop their fine motor skills.
All you need for this kids activity are:
- cookie cutters in different shapes and sizes, and
- some fruits or vegetables
Peel and slice the fruit or vegetable into workable sizes first so that will be easy for your child to push the cookie cutter through. Then, let your child cut them into their favourite shapes!
Veggies that work well for this activity include cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, radishes and mushrooms. These are perfect for adding to soups, salads, pasta sauces and cute bento boxes, which we’ll cover later in this article :)
For fruits, try watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, pears, apples, mango, kiwi fruit, and strawberries as they are soft and easy to work with. Eat these cutely shaped fruits on their own, or use them for other recipes such as the homemade fruit popsicles below!
Explore colourful kitchen creations
Another fun activity to do with kids in the kitchen is to involve them in creating colourful everyday meals. This not only teaches them about mixing colours but also encourages creativity and experimentation in the kitchen.
Here are some colourful kitchen activities you can do with your kids:
- Use fruits and vegetables as a natural food dye, such as spinach for green, beetroot for pink, turmeric for yellow, purple cabbage for blue, and berries for red
- Use food dye to make their favourite dishes colourful. This works great for making jelly, pancakes, waffles, homemade pasta or noodles
- Mix and match different coloured frostings for decorating cupcakes, cookies or cakes
- Design colourful smoothie bowls using vibrant fruits
- Create fruit skewers using a variety of colourful fruits like strawberries, oranges, kiwi, blueberries, and pineapple
- Make rainbow cake or rainbow cupcakes
Homemade fruit popsicles
In our hot weather, making homemade popsicles can be a delightful and refreshing activity to do with your kids at home. Moreover, they’re cheap, tasty and a much healthier treat than regular ice cream. By using fresh fruits and natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, you can introduce children to the idea that tasty snacks can also be healthy.
Apart from being a delightful treat, making homemade popsicles is also an engaging way to introduce kids to the science of freezing. They can gain a hands-on understanding of how liquids transform into solid form through the effects of temperature. Additionally, kids can observe how the popsicles freeze differently depending on their ingredients.
If you don’t have popsicle moulds, you can make homemade popsicles at home with just these following materials.
- Popsicle sticks
- Small plastic or paper cups
For easy fruit popsicles for kids, here are the steps:
- Prepare fresh fruits and either honeyed water or fruit juice.
- Get your kids to help you shape fruit slices using cookie cutters. You can use kiwi, fresh strawberries, mango or other fruits you like.
- Let your child arrange the fruit slices in the popsicle moulds or cups.
- Pour fruit juice or honeyed water over the fruits until it fills to the top.
- Then, add a popsicle stick in the middle of the cups, and freeze them for a few hours or overnight until they are solid.
- Pop them out of their moulds or cups on a hot sunny afternoon as a tasty and healthy treat!
There are many more popsicle recipes using blended fruits, yoghurt and milk to make different types of popsicles at home. Check out these kid-friendly popsicle recipes for ideas. Have fun experimenting with different flavours and combinations!
Craft homemade pizzas together
Making pizza at home with the kids is not only cheaper and healthier than eating outside, but is also an excellent bonding experience for the family. Getting children to actively participate in choosing their own pizza toppings and making their own designs can enhance their creativity and empower them with a sense of ownership over the food they create.
For this fun activity with kids, you can make your own pizza dough from scratch or purchase ready-made ones from the store. Then simply prepare your family’s favourite pizza toppings such as cheese, sliced mushrooms and tomatoes, and pizza sauce. Organise all the ingredients on the kitchen table for easy pizza assembly. Encourage kids to have fun arranging the toppings to make faces or patterns! For even more pizza fun, try making cute characters or shapes from the pizza dough, such as bear-shaped pizza or tree-shaped pizza.
Make cute character meals
Getting kids involved in making cute meals or lunchboxes is not only a fun activity but also a great way to encourage them to eat a nutritious meal. By involving children in the process, they have the opportunity to feel invested in their lunches and are more likely to eat what they've helped create.
Start by involving them in the planning process, allowing them to choose their favourite characters or themes for their lunchboxes. You can then create simple stencils of these characters for your kids to use as a guide when arranging the food. Here are some easy tasks any child can complete to create cute character meals or lunchboxes on their own:
- Use hands to roll rice or mashed potatoes into different sized balls to make characters such as teddy bears, bunnies, and other animals
- Arrange vegetables on plates to create simple artwork such as faces, animals or words
- Cut sandwiches into animal shapes using cookie cutters or moulds
- Use black sesame seeds to create faces on small foods such as boiled eggs or rice balls
This hands-on approach not only makes lunch preparation exciting but also instills a sense of ownership over their meals, making it more likely that they will enjoy eating what they help create.
Need some inspiration? Get some cute ideas for how to decorate everyday meals and lunchboxes from our cooking classes for kids.
Make cute mini burgers
If your kids love burgers, try making them at home instead of ordering fast food or takeout. It's healthier, cheaper and can be filled with fun and creativity. For this kids kitchen activity, set up a build-your-own mini burger bar with various toppings and condiments. Provide a variety of colourful toppings like cherry tomatoes, pickles, and sliced cheese, and let the kids design their own mini burger characters.
Encourage kids to personalise their own burgers according to their tastes. You could even turn it into a game or challenge among everyone in the family to see who can create the fastest or most creative burger. This adds an element of friendly competition that can motivate even reluctant participants.
Bake and decorate cookies, cupcakes or cakes together
Getting kids involved in baking and decorating is not only a fun activity, but it also provides an opportunity for children to develop important skills such as following instructions, measuring ingredients, and understanding the science behind baking. Moreover, it encourages creativity as they get to experiment with different flavours, shapes, and decorations.
You'll need basic baking equipment and tools such as mixing bowls, whisks, measuring scales, spatulas, and an oven. For ingredients, you can purchase box mixes or buy ingredients to bake from scratch, such as flour, sugar, baking soda and others. Consider starting with simple recipes for kids to follow. Allow kids to take charge of certain tasks like mixing ingredients or decorating with icing and sprinkles.
Check out our kids baking classes for ideas and inspiration, or enrol them in a class to kickstart their baking experience in an organised setting.
The kitchen is not just a place for cooking and meal preparation; it can also be a fun and educational space for kids to engage in various activities. From simple recipes to creative food art, there are endless opportunities for kids to explore their creativity and learn valuable life skills. By involving children in kitchen activities, parents can foster a love for cooking and encourage healthy eating habits from an early age. Additionally, the time spent together in the kitchen provides a wonderful bonding opportunity for families.
So why not start planning your next kitchen adventure with your kids today? Get ready to have fun, create lasting memories, and impart important life lessons through these enjoyable culinary experiences at home, or join as parent and child in our various baking and cooking classes for kids today.
