Benefits of Cooking with Kids & Family Dinners

We love this recipe because it makes it easy to get your child involved in the kitchen! When you cook with your kids you are helping to teach them a skill that will last them the rest of their lives. Plus, you get to share a meal together once you're done cooking it! Research shows that when families eat together, it helps improve self-esteem, academic performance and physical health.

We know that finding time to cook meals and eat together can be challenging. Here are some strategies to help make this a reality:

• Start with one meal per week. Choose one meal per week that works for your family and commit to sitting down together for that meal. This could be Friday breakfast, Saturday lunch or Tuesday dinner- it doesn’t matter as long as you are sharing the meal with your kids.
• Start with one new and simple recipe. We love this Turkey & Cheese Pinwheels recipe because it’s so easy to make with your kids. Use this recipe or similarly easy ones to help get your kids comfortable in the kitchen. Just like anything else, they’ll let you know when they’re ready for more of a challenge!
• Plan out the meals you are going to serve each week. This looks different for each family, but making a list of the meals you are going to serve that week helps reduce last-minute dinnertime stress and ensures you have all the ingredients you need on hand. This is another opportunity to involve your children by asking for meal requests. Plus, making and sticking to a meal plan can save you money! Win-win!
• Make mealtimes more enjoyable. Many Registered Dietitians (including your School Nutrition Dietitians!) encourage families to practice the “Mealtime Division of Responsibility.” Basically, the adult chooses what is on the menu and the child chooses how much and what they are going to eat. We encourage the adult in charge of planning the menu to serve something that they know their child will like… and then be OK if that’s all they eat for that meal. This can reduce mealtime stress and take time to get comfortable with so we’ve rounded up some resources with more information.

Ellyn Satter Institute

Stop Mealtime Battles

Division of Mealtime Responsibility

More Resources:

Benefits of Family Dinners

Cooking with Your Children

Why the Family Meal is Important

Benefits of the Family Table

Importance of Family Dinners