Planning and preparing food are usually a parent’s job. Imagine how nice it would be to have help in the kitchen while helping your child become more self-sufficient in the process.
For a parent of young kids, this seems like a dream. Cooking uses knives and stoves, so it will be a while before your kids can help in the kitchen, right? Not necessarily. With a little patience and guidance, there are many age-appropriate food preparation activities for kids.
When kids help to prepare food
• They increase the variety of foods in their diet, including fruits and vegetables.
• Children learn and improve quickly and this builds confidence in the kitchen.
• Their skills and healthy habits follow them into adulthood.
• Family connections are created. Teens who feel a sense of connection do better in school, have better emotional regulation and are less likely to engage in risky behavior. Before long, your little one will be a teenager, too.
How to successfully engage kids in the kitchen
1. Expect it to take longer and be messier than usual. Have patience and set the expectation that clean-up is part of the process.
2. Involve kids in recipe selection using images of the food; adjust ingredients for food preferences.
3. Choose an appropriate task based on age or current skill:
• Ages 2-3: Mix, mash, tear, scoop and stir.
• Ages 3-5: Crack eggs, fill dishwasher and pour premeasured ingredients.
• Ages 5-7: Keep practicing. Your child is developing fine motor skills essential to food preparation.
• Ages 7-9: Open cans, peel, supervised knife handling and use food thermometers.
• Age 9-12: Cook with stove, oven, or microwave and follow recipes (Bonus: your kids are using math skills.).
As a role model for a young chef in the making, practice using “tell, show, do.” To prepare yourself, read the recipe in advance and have your ingredients and kitchen tools ready to use.
Guacamole with a twist
Ingredients:
1/2 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed — ages 9 and older with supervision
2 ripe avocados
1-2 tablespoons of lime juice (about 1/2 of a lime) — ages 5 and up
1 teaspoon ground cumin — ages 5 and up
1/2–1 teaspoon of salt — ages 5 and up
1/4 cup diced tomatoes — fresh or canned, drain if using canned (optional) — ages 9 and older with supervision
Chips or veggies for serving (optional)
Equipment:
Cutting board
Medium-sized knife
Medium-sized bowl
Masher or fork
Spoon
Measuring spoons
Instructions:
1. Wash lids of cans with soap and water (beans and tomatoes) — all ages.
2. Wash food contact surfaces with soap and water — all ages.
3. Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds — all ages.
4. Wash avocado with clean water — all ages.
5. Using the bear claw technique, cut avocado in half and remove seed — ages 9 and older with parental supervision.
6. Put beans in a bowl and mash with a fork or masher — all ages.
7. Use a spoon to scoop avocado from skin and put into bowl with beans — all ages.
8. Mash beans and avocado until well mixed — all ages, taste using a clean spoon.
9. Mix in lime juice, salt and cumin until incorporated — all ages, taste using a clean spoon. Ask: “What do you think of the added seasoning?”
10. Add optional tomatoes and gently stir in — all ages.
11. Serve and enjoy — all ages.
For more information, ideas and recipes, visit the Colorado State University Food Smart website at foodsmartcolorado.colostate.edu.
The CSU Extension office has set up a food pantry shelf at the entrance to our building. If you feel so inclined, you may leave nonperishable items on the shelf. If you are in need, feel free to stop by and take what your family can use.
4-H open enrollment closes on Monday, Dec. 15. All 4-H youth members must enroll by this date. A $20 late fee is applied for every child after this date.
The purpose of 4-H is to build life skills, such as communication, leadership, and community awareness through real-life situations.
For more information, contact Becky Jacobson at becky.jacobson@colostate.edu.
Join the Archuleta County Fair Board and make history. Be a part of preserving the rich heritage and timeless tradition of the Archuleta County Fair and help plan the 75th anniversary fair in 2026.
You’ll contribute to an annual tradition that brings our community together, supports local agriculture and creates last memories for generations to come.
To learn more, contact Tonya Steadmon at tsteadmon@archuletacounty.gov.
CPR and first aid certification classes are offered every other month at the CSU Extension office, generally on the third Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 10 p.m. The cost for the classes is $80 for combined CPR/first aid and $55 for CPR, first aid or recertification. Call the Extension office at (970) 264-5931 to register.
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