This holiday season, we are offering tips for a new holiday tradition: cooking with kids in the kitchen. Families are spending the most time in the kitchen – a key opportunity to teach kids about the food they’re eating and to share the time-honored family tradition of cooking.

Our mission is to help kids improve their knowledge, attitude and behavior toward food through community food education. Every week, our volunteer teachers empower K-5 students to explore new foods, learn to cook healthy, sustainable snacks and make smart choices.

We know from working with 100 kids every week that kids are very curious to learn new things and they love to help out! This holiday season, let your kids help you in the kitchen and partake in a fun new family tradition!

Here are some tips for cooking with your kids this holiday season:

1. Don’t slow down: Kids keep up better than you think and will come up with their own ideas of how to help if you invite them in the kitchen to join you!
2. Find jobs for little hands: Kids can tear herbs, sprinkle cheese, layer ingredients and more while parents handle chopping and hot pots.
3. Counting comes in handy: Let kids count silverware, plates and glasses as they set the table.
4. Chairs do wonders: Let a child stand on a chair and watch in fascination as you cook.
5. Make them sous-chefs: Kids can grab ingredients from the pantry, measure, stir, count, pour, press buttons on timers and hold bowls.
6. Engage their senses: As you cook, let kids taste, smell and touch as much as possible – that means they’re learning!
7. Creativity reigns supreme: Kids are creative, so ask them for ideas such as what vegetables they can add.
8. Rediscover the wonder of cooking: Cooking with kids will renew your own excitement about good food!