An ancient 'superfood' sent from heaven
It’s one of those dishes that looks and sounds so impressive but is really so simple to make! It’s also good practice for cracking eggs.
What kid doesn’t love pancakes? In the process, they’ll practice measuring, stirring, pouring batter, and working with a hot stove.
This is always a hit with kids because of the assembly process—it’s like arts and crafts, and it’s the dish that keeps on giving for your whole life!
Avocado, banana, and chocolate pudding is a healthy dessert that will teach your kids about using a blender, and it’ll show them that sweets can be good for you!
They’ll taste much better than McDonald’s, and kids can learn how to safely use a knife, how to handle and cook raw meat, and it’s a fun process to learn how to coat the nuggets first in the wet egg mixture and then in the herbed breadcrumbs.
The perfect pairing to a grilled cheese sandwich, which is also a great dish to teach them. This could also be a perfect opportunity to teach the kids how to use an immersion blender.
You can start off with a ready-made pastry dough or crescent roll dough, then later teach them how to make it from scratch. It’s a fast dish that kids love, and later on they can upgrade it with fancy sausages as hors d'oeuvres.
Learning how to cook rice properly is an underrated skill! Fried rice is simple, adaptable for all diets, and includes a nice hit of protein, carbs, and healthy fats—just make the rice a day in advance.
The magic of putting a bunch of sliced vegetables into the oven and getting a ready-to-eat meal never fades. This is a great opportunity to teach kids about which foods need more time to cook than others.
This dish is fun from beginning to end, and it’s a great way to simultaneously teach kids to be engaged while they eat.
An undeniable classic, teaching kids how to make pasta with a basic tomato basil sauce is a skill that will continue its impressiveness until the end of time.
Learning to use rice paper will dazzle them, and there’s little to no cooking involved! They’ll get their vegetables in, and you can teach them the great value of homemade condiments with a quick Thai peanut butter sauce.
Besides the fun name, teaching your kids how to make their own popsicles is a much more entertaining (and healthier) option to the store-bought alternatives. They can customize which flavors and fruits they like too.
Instead of throwing some Kraft Dinner together with cheese powder, show your kids the gooey and delicious value of mixing real cheese into macaroni, and bake it for that crusty top!
Learning to make a super simple dough, learning why it has to rest, and learning how to work it will certainly come in handy and save a lot of money! Plus, who doesn’t love pizza?
The sooner you hook kids onto fruit-based desserts, the better! They’ll learn to get a range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and flavors, and, of course, you can throw some whipped cream in there since it’s very low in fat.
It’s very fast to make and it’ll teach them about stovetop safety, plus it can be modified for any diet!
The combination of peanut butter and banana is so delectable and can be used in various sweet treats, but combining it with a lesson on how to make hearty, healthy, fiber-rich oats will equip them with the breakfast of champions.
Many adults have yet to master this simple skill, but it’s an eternal breakfast classic. You can also make sunny-side up, hard-boiled, and over-easy eggs to teach them the diversity of this source of protein.
A childhood classic, Sloppy Joes can be made with ground beef or turkey for a healthier option, and they require very little work but can teach kids how to handle and cook meat.
The deceiving store-bought options are actually loaded with sugar, so it’s great to learn how to make your own at home, and for a fraction of the cost! The kids can take them to school as snacks and show off to their friends.
Teaching kids how to enjoy potatoes in a way that’s both healthier and more hands-off to cook than fries is a fantastic skill, and you can choose the flavors—maybe it’s loaded Mediterranean sweet potatoes or loaded Tex-Mex spuds.
This delectable breakfast option is actually way healthier than sugary cereals and it’s quick and easy to make!
Something to go with spaghetti, or put between buns, homemade meatballs and patties are good sticky fun! If you’re a veg family, you can also make them with beans, tempeh, quinoa, and a variety of other alternatives.
Simple, quick, and a great way to sneak in some veggies, cheesy quesadillas go great with a lesson on how to make fresh salsa and guacamole.
These flourless cookies are delicious and nutritious! You just need peanut butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then a chocolate kiss to press into the tops as soon as they come out of the oven.
One day they’ll catch a cold and they’ll have to take care of themselves! It’s a good thing chicken soup isn’t hard to make. You’ll teach them the base of carrots, celery, and onion, introduce them to broth, and you can use any protein you’d like.
Getting kids excited about salads is hard, but Caesar salads are the perfect gateway salad. You can make the dressing with nonfat Greek yogurt as a healthier base, and make your own croutons too!
See also: Easy ways to sneak vegetables into meals
Cooking is a skill that not every parent can do themselves, so it follows that an even smaller number of children inherit cooking skills. But for their health, their safety, their wallet, and their confidence in themselves, learning to cook is essential!
But even if you’re not extremely skilled in the kitchen, there are simple dishes that you can teach your kids that will prepare them and excite them about cooking for themselves, including important building blocks like learning how to pour, measure, and stir, to more complicated skills like working with a stove or oven. It's the gift that truly keeps on giving. Click through to see the best dishes to teach your kids.
The best recipes to teach your kids
Cooking is a valuable skill to teach your kids for lifelong benefits
FOOD Cooking
Cooking is a skill that not every parent can do themselves, so it follows that an even smaller number of children inherit cooking skills. But for their health, their safety, their wallet, and their confidence in themselves, learning to cook is essential!
But even if you’re not extremely skilled in the kitchen, there are simple dishes that you can teach your kids that will prepare them and excite them about cooking for themselves, including important building blocks like learning how to pour, measure, and stir, to more complicated skills like working with a stove or oven. It's the gift that truly keeps on giving. Click through to see the best dishes to teach your kids.