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“How do I get my kids to WANT to cook?” parents often ask.

Here’s your answer! (And pro tip: it starts with US and our own wants…)

Want to get your kids started in the kitchen? Check out my Healthy Snacks SkillLab, a set of videos to help you and your kids make a variety of healthful snacks for your family and learn some great kitchen skills!

Can’t see the video? Watch Motivation and Confidence in the Kitchen here on YouTube!

No time for the video? Here are the notes!

Motivation and Confidence in the Kitchen 

  • 0:10: Parents ask me all the time, “How do I get my kids to want to cook?” There are two aspects to this, our kid’s motivation and our mindset. Let’s get into this today on today’s Healthy Parenting Connector. 
  • 1:08: The long game is that when you launch a kid into the world if they know how to cook they will be leaps and bounds ahead of their peers and they will know how to nourish themselves and save money instead of eating out all the time. 

Of all the things you teach, how to nourish themselves and the people they love is way up there in importance. -Katie Kimball

  • 3:35: Looking at the short game, wouldn’t it be nice to have competent kitchen helpers and allow your kids to experience some independence? For the past 4 years, I’ve had a weekly night off from cooking because we have “kid’s cooking night.”
  • 5:35: It might be messy to get kids in the kitchen, and surely they will be slower than you, but it’s totally worth it! 

  • 6:15: We can use the benefits I mentioned to motivate our kids. When they see that they have real skills and can take care of themselves or someone else their confidence blossoms. Once your kids get a taste of this the “competence/confidence loop” will take over. 
  • 7:20: The best way to get kids motivated is to ask for their help when you’re feeding someone outside your family. This provides ample opportunities for real compliments and encouragement to your child which increases confidence. 
  • 8:30: Not all kids are the same, for younger kids (under 8) using “older kid” skills like using knives or the stove can boost motivation.
  • 9:30: My older kids like that if they cook, they get to choose what they make. Teenagers like to make their own choices. You cook, you choose.

Resources We Mention for Teaching Kids to Cook