Toddler Helping in the Kitchen: 5 Age Appropriate Tasks

When you think of creating with your kid, do you automatically think of crafts? Crafts are a great way to create, but creating can also happen in the kitchen. Cooking with your kid can be daunting and require a lot of patience, but it is also so rewarding. As long as you pick age appropriate tasks for your kid in the kitchen, it can be a fun learning experience for everyone. My 2 1/2 year old daughter loves helping me and here are five ways I have found to incorporate her into cooking. So pull up a learning tower or a chair to your counter and get your toddler helping in the kitchen too!

5 Ways To Get Your Toddler Helping in the Kitchen

1. Spreading

Spreading can get a little messy, but it is a great way for your toddler to help. You can use a spoon or plastic knife to let them spread toppings on. The first time, I showed my daughter how and then placed big blobs of soft butter on toast for her to spread out. Now I can give her a jar of spread and a spoon or knife and she will do it all. Great spreading practice includes: PB&J rollups, bagel pizzas, and garlic bread.

2. Mixing

One of the first things my daughter wanted to help with was mixing. She loves beating eggs with a fork for scrambled eggs or stirring things like cookie dough with a spatula. I learned very quickly to use a much bigger mixing bowl than you normally would. This will minimize some of the mess, but it will still take lots of gentle reminders to stir gently. Great mixing practice includes: cookies, scrambled eggs, and Jello.

3. Measuring

Measuring is another task that kids love, but it is what my daughter is the worst at. My daughter loves scooping out flour with a measuring cup, but it normally ends up only partially filled. To avoid estimating what fractions really go in, I have started having her put the measuring cup on the counter. She then gets to use a regular spoon to fill it up a spoonful at a time before dumping it in the mixing bowl. I would also suggest picking recipes that you can live with inexact measurements for. Great measuring practice includes: no-bake cookies, muffins, and hot chocolate.

4. Assembly

Assembly is a great way to get your kid started in the kitchen if you are worried about mess. Give them ingredients on a plate or in a bowl that they can put where they need to go. Just moving ingredients from one place to another can get them excited about being in the kitchen and give them a sense of ownership of the food they make. Great assembly practice includes: bagel pizzas and quesadillas.

5. Cutting

I left cutting for last because it is probably the most intimidating for parents. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be. Get your child a set of child safe knives when they are little to teach knife safety with. If they learn to cut correctly and safely with a plastic knife, then when they are older they will be trustworthy with true kitchen knives. It is also amazing how well a good pair of kid safe knives actually cuts food. Great cutting practice includes: fruit salad and veggie trays.

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to get your young toddler helping in the kitchen. Let me know in the comments what you try and how well it works. And remember that it will probably take a few tries and a lot of mess, but it can be fun for everyone.