A New Year to Empower Kids in the Kitchen

About six months ago, it dawned on me that I had to begin empowering our three kids in the kitchen. I decided 2025 would be the official launch for their newfound culinary independence. After all, our oldest was nearing 16 and was still announcing “I’m hungry” and “I’m thirsty,” while looking to my husband or me to feed and hydrate him. It was clear that being able to satisfy his own hunger and thirst was an essential first step.

With more unsupervised time at home, our kids — now all teenagers — should begin to be more self-sufficient. In turn, this would allow my husband and me to worry less about the kids starving when we’re away from home and save us time preparing meals for when we’re gone. Another advantage: our kids could help when we host guests by taking ownership of a dish, whether for a formal holiday meal or a casual cookout. Win-win.

Collaborators in the Kitchen

Some background: we began having our kids work with us in the kitchen when they were in preschool by doing simple tasks like peeling and chopping vegetables, adding pre-measured ingredients for baking, and forming balls for energy bites with their tiny hands.

Looking back, this was a great foundation for today as we begin to build their self-sufficiency before they head off to college. Their comfort level in the kitchen by contributing to our home life and being able to satisfy their own needs was likely helped by their early involvement there.

Emotional Transition

There’s also an emotional aspect to this process for me. As I let go of my desire to helm the kitchen, I’m keenly aware of my desire to provide for my family and connect with them, especially as our teens seek more independence in their lives. It’s a bittersweet process.

I’ve always found cooking for my family, while exhausting at times, a very nurturing experience. But I realized my desire to dote was hindering our children spreading their wings. And so, I officially committed to relinquishing my provider and nurturer approach and becoming instead a mentor and cheerleader. Not an easy transition.

I talked individually with each child about a few basics — easy homemade lunch and snacks they enjoy, consistent with their maturity and ability to use certain kitchen tools and equipment (think stove). Next, I gradually introduced recipes to them, one at a time.

The Process

Our oldest, who was 15 when we began this process, is a meat lover who shared how much he enjoyed helping me make homemade chicken tenders. He was already familiar with the overall process, so we needed to work on setting up the coating station and safely managing hot oil in a pan on the stove for pan-frying. This recipe was one he could cook for family meals, which would comply with our no-stove-when-parents-are-out rule.

For our bean-loving, 14-year-old middle child, nachos would be his first solo performance. He enjoys layering each ingredient and the ease of popping our mini baking tray in the toaster oven.

Our youngest, who recently turned 13, chose making guacamole to eat with tortilla chips as her first mission. She’d already served as my kitchen assistant by mashing avocados on taco night. Now she’d learn to extract the avocado flesh on her own (using a dull kitchen knife) before mashing, and then add the right amount of lemon and salt.

Easy Recipes

Easy recipes let kids learn the ingredients and steps. My plan was to focus first on recipes with five ingredients max, plus demonstrating, repeating and discussing safety. This approach has been the key to their success and excitement, leading them to want to expand their repertoire.

Our oldest branched out to burgers, grilled cheese and chocolate chip cookies. Our middle child added candied nuts, stovetop popcorn and quesadillas to his favorite recipes. And our youngest now makes colorful charcuterie boards, mango smoothies, a Mediterranean-inspired plate and avocado toast. Next on her wish list are homemade soft pretzels, sushi and creamy soups. Not a bad collection of snacks!

Newfound Confidence

Now that they each have their own growing collection of recipes beyond the classic PB&J, it’s rewarding to watch as they satisfy their basic needs. And as their newfound kitchen confidence grows — and my husband’s and my trust keeps pace — the kids want to add even more recipes to their lists.

Read on for easy, tasty recipes to get your kids cooking in the kitchen in the New Year!

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