Five ways to make food fun for kids

Discover some top tips for having fun with food with your little one and watch the children from Our Family get creative in the kitchen.

Cooking with children is a great way to encourage little ones to try new foods, learn new words and discover an essential life skill. Here are some handy tips and tricks on how to get them excited about food and have fun in the kitchen.

Cooking together is a great opportunity to help children feel capable and knowledgeable. Be brave about letting them try to master skills like cracking eggs – it’s a big part of baking! It could get messy, though, so make sure everyone washes their hands well after handling raw eggs! 

Eating together regularly can really influence your little one’s eating habits. You are your child’s main role model so seeing you tuck into a range of healthy food encourages them to follow suit. If you know another kid who’s an adventurous eater, try inviting them round for tea as well - peer pressure can really work!

You can use cooking (and eating) together as a time to boost your child's communication skills. Encourage them to use all five senses and talk about how things look, sound, feel, smell and taste as you go along. 

Children are far more likely to try different foods if they’ve had a hand in making it. Try making your own pizzas and provide little ones with a range of toppings to choose from. This will give them a sense of control over their food, which can make kids more likely to explore new things. You can find lots of easy recipes to try from My World Kitchen.

Cooking is a great chance to use simple maths with your child and boost their number skills. Counting out how many mugs and marshmallows you’ll need for a hot chocolate treat helps children understand that a number corresponds to an amount. Grasping this idea helps with addition and subtraction later on.

Encouraging children to take a more active role in choosing, preparing and cooking simple meals can help them eat a wider variety of foods, read more about cooking and baking with children.

Find out how to develop your child’s maths and coordination skills through adventurous eating.

Avoid accidents in the kitchen with these safety hacks for cooking with kids.

Find interesting recipes from around the world with these child-friendly recipes from My World Kitchen.

Discover some easy recipes to get cooking with your kids and have fun with food!