4 Tips to Include Kids With Meal Delivery Cooking

Kids cooking in the kitchen

Including your kids with meal delivery cooking is fun, easy, and can help you manage your time much better! Because of how meal delivery kits are set up (simple cooking, pre-measured ingredients, etc.), it’s a recipe for a fun-filled time of learning for your little ones. Here are five tips to help you get the most out of your meal delivery cooking with your kids.

Allow Extra Time

All of the top meal delivery companies have the estimated prep and cook time listed for all dishes. If you’re planning on bringing the kids in on the fun, realize that time is going to be extended. Your kids will have questions, need more explanation, and will take a bit longer to do certain tasks. Instead of rushing them or missing out on these unique teaching opportunities, set aside extra time for cooking. If you’re pressed for time, you may want to focus on cooking yourself or limit how involved the kids are going to be. 

A Teaching Moment for Food Safety

Cooking is a great time to start teaching kids about food safety. You don’t have to get into a full-on science lesson, but you can start teaching them about washing their hands, germs, cross-contamination, and why the five-second rule is not a real thing. Kids tend to learn better in hands-on environments, and what better way to get them into the mix than with cooking a delicious meal they get to enjoy afterward. 

Pouring Ingredients and Manning the Timer

Kids don’t have to do all the cooking unless they are older. Make sure you are assigning tasks that are age-appropriate. For little kids, things like pouring in ingredients, stirring, and watching the timer are all great simple tasks they can accomplish. As the kids get older, have them do things like read the instructions and take on some of the more important tasks of the meal delivery cooking. What’s great is that if you start them young with this, it can be something that grows with them as they get older and take on more of the roles of responsibility. 

Official Taste Testers

The number one most fun job that you can assign your kids is the job of official taste tester. At different stages in the cooking process, have them test out how different ingredients and mixtures taste. Obviously, make sure anything you are having them try is safe to eat and doesn’t have to be cooked first. This is a fun way to get their creative juices flowing while learning about new foods and ingredients.