How To Get Your Kids To Cook

When my oldest son was 12 years old, I look at him on Thanksgiving morning and told him I didn’t want to cook the turkey so he was going to have to do it. With 14 people expected for Thanksgiving dinner, we had a good size bird that needed to be prepared.

After a brief exchange, where I had to assure him I was not kidding, he grabbed his computer, watched a couple of Youtube videos, and got started.

I was on hand to lend advice and answer questions, but he cooked the turkey himself, and it was amazing.

I feel very strongly that my sons need to learn to cook, and I work towards this goal on a regular basis. If I had daughters, I would teach them, too.

I have followed these steps to make sure that they know their way around the kitchen.

Start Small.

My littlest spends time in the kitchen cutting up fruit and stirring. He’s my helper as long as his attention span allows. I allow him to come and go as he pleases to reinforce the idea that cooking is fun and not a chore (even though it can be, at times!)

Embrace the mess.

If there’s a mess during the cooking process or ingredients are spilled, let it go. You can clean up afterward. Broken dishes can be replaced, but harsh words cannot be taken back.