Cooking with young children is a wonderful way to slow down and enjoy your time together. It can also be a wonderful chance for kids to discover new textures and smells! To get ready to cook with young children, start by making sure they can comfortably reach the workspace. Try giving them a banana, a small cutting board and a fork and butter knife. Figuring out how to peel the banana, put it on the cutting board, slice it, and eat it, is a cooking activity little kids love. For more advice on how to set up your kitchen to safely cook with your children, check out our post here - and for more ideas on ways to make your kitchen an inviting place for young ones, read this post! 

Ready to cook? Wash those hands and get set for a fun afternoon. 

1. Gateau au yaourt (Yogurt cake): Yogurt cake is the first dish young children in France learn to make. It’s a great first recipe because it’s a no-measure cake -- it starts with one container of yogurt, and then everything else is measured with that container. If you prefer chocolate, try this chocolate version!

2. Peanut butter and sliced banana on toast: No recipe needed for this one, but kids love it, especially if you put the ingredients where they can easily reach them so that they can make it solo. Making toast, spreading peanut butter and slicing banana -- this quick and easy recipe has lots of activities that are exciting for little ones to try. 

3. Graham cracker plate tectonics: This snack is simple for small children to prepare, and it comes with a fun geography lesson! Kids can slide their graham crackers around to make mountains, earthquakes and volcanoes. For more activities that combine cooking and learning, see our post on cooking and geography activities for kids. 

4. Cinnamon apples: From our community recipe archives, this recipe is a winner. An apple slicer will help young children make this more independently. 

5. Fruit kebabs: Help build your child’s motor skills by giving them sliced fruit to skewer for this tasty snack. You can also try a frozen version of this recipe by skewering berries, drizzling in yogurt, and then popping it in the freezer on a cookie sheet for a few hours.

6. No-bake bites: No-bake treats are a perfect cooking project for little kids - the measurements are very forgiving, and the recipes are safe to taste-test while you’re making them. Plus: they're delicious, and you can combine all your favourite mix-ins to make the recipe your family’s new favourite. Try no-bake peanut butter treats, no-bake granola balls or no-bake protein bites!

7. Omelette in a mug: Even little kids can operate the microwave with a little help, and that’s all you need to make this gorgeous omelette! Add in some cheese or chopped veggies to make it even more delicious. 

8. Wraps: OK, this one takes a little prep from you or an older sibling. To make this recipe work, make like a cooking show and have all of your fillings laid out for your child to choose between. Then, let your kids get to work creating their wrap! Putting everything out on the table for kids to choose from can be a bit more work, but it has enormous benefits -- especially for kids who are choosy eaters -- because it gives them the opportunity to choose to try just a taste from new things on the table. For more strategies that can help picky eaters, check out our post on expanding your kids’ taste horizons with fun kitchen activities. 

9. Instant Ice Cream: Take two plastic resealable bags, a little science and a kid who loves to shake things up! You'll have instant ice cream and a very happy kiddo. If older siblings enjoy this one, let them try more kitchen chemistry -- we've got lots of delicious science experiments to try! 

10. Yogurt Parfaits: Parfaits are another fun one for toddlers because the recipe is so flexible but the result is packed with layers of flavour. And little kids will be thrilled to spoon their own yogurt! 

Is your little one ready to keep on cooking? We’ve got lots of inspiration and activity suggestions over on our Facebook and Instagram feeds. Or, check our blog archives for more bright ideas!