5 Big Ways to Include Your Family in the Kitchen

The kitchen isn’t just a place for cooking; it’s the heart of the home. So it makes sense to include your family in the kitchen then. Being in the family kitchen is a great way to come together. It’s a time to create memories, share stories & build bonds that last a lifetime.

But you know what? In today’s fast-paced world, the simple act of gathering in the kitchen has been replaced by the microwave society we live in. And that just doesn’t sit well with me. So I am intentional about how I include my family in the kitchen happenings. Because being in the kitchen isn’t just about food preparation & cooking healthy foods. It’s also about connecting with the people I love & nurturing our relationships.

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I spend a lot of time making content & writing about kitchen activities that save you money without compromising on eating healthy meals or trying new foods. But I’m hopeful that what I share inspires you to learn some of the skills they used to know back in the day & increase your self-sufficiency. This means, from the grocery shopping to the actual cooking process there’s a lot that goes in this. But the best way to experience it all is together. 

Yes, preserving food, cooking from scratch & staying organized can be time consuming or require careful focus sometimes. And I think that’s why so many women (myself included sometimes) feel like the only way to complete these things is when their family or kids are asleep or otherwise busy. Maybe even completely out of the house. But you know what? Skills aren’t passed on that way & your family’s heritage is worth the patience. 

The role of the kitchen in family life

This is why it’s important to include my family in the kitchen. And why I get my kids in the kitchen with me when I’m working on something.

And listen, I get it. Being in the kitchen with large or heavy tasks on the to-do list plus kids is the #1 kitchen anxiety trigger for many women. It might even tax your mental health every now & again, ok?

Things take longer, it’s messier & sometimes the food doesn’t actually come out….edible ahahaha but still. It’s momentary & most everything is washable anyway. And with your support & guidance, everyone can learn to do better! So yes, I’m basically telling you to expect this and be willing to endure it for the greater good.

Other benefits of including your family in the kitchen

• It directly exposes them to their own foods & sets the stage for them to try new things.
• You can show them safe ways to use appliances or cooking techniques & vice versa. No one said you have to be the most experienced/skilled just because you take on most of the kitchen work.
• Increase everyone’s culinary creativity. This goes hand in hand with the first step because you all can learn how to take a familiar food item then season or cook it in new ways to enjoy different tastes you hadn’t before!
• Things might take less time with more hands on deck. Then again with small hands, maybe not, but that’s ok.
• Directly impact your child’s development. Work on their fine motor skills through simple tasks. Increase their self-confidence through praise or acknowledgement. And of course, encourage their independence too. Even with babies you can work on sorting, shapes, colors, counting, letters & more! And I don’t just mean by the magnets on the fridge either although that’s a start.
• Encourage family mentoring. As kids grow older, let them lead making a recipe or making the menu/grocery shopping list. And if nothing else, they can teach a younger sibling a thing or two about what Mom actually means when she says “Wash the dishes please.”
• It cultivates patience, gratitude & gentleness inside you.

The hustle & bustle of daily life gets to us all. And when it comes to shared kitchen activities, it can be easy to overlook the profound impact that has on family dynamics. From kneading dough to simmering sauces, every moment spent together in the kitchen is an opportunity for it to all come full circle.

It’s about more than just the food on the table; it’s about all the experiences shared. The lessons learned & the memories that will be cherished for generations to come. So if you get anxiety about it, here’s 25 ways to feel more comfortable in your kitchen right out the gate. 

But today, I want to share some things I do that keep me from stressing about having others in the kitchen with me. And if you have littles (or high schoolers or any age in between) maybe you’ve thought this…

How do I get my child/ren involved in the kitchen?

Well, here are 5 ways you can include family in the kitchen activities. 

#1 Create a Kitchen-Friendly Atmosphere

Set a Positive Tone –

Cultivate a welcoming kitchen environment where all your family members feel encouraged to participate. Have you ever known a home where some of the rooms were “off-limits”? That’s not the feeling your family should have about the kitchen. Remember, start shifting your mindset to think of these moments as good quality time. 

Work in such a way that joy oozes from within as you all take on cooking & creating together. Whether that’s working with new ingredients or trying to make a new recipe or new family traditions, you get to decide! 

What I hope you’ll do is create positive kitchen memories through the ordinary here. I didn’t always participate in the cooking or cleaning when I was younger. I remember a few times where I just hung out with some of my Legos or drew while my mom or dad was working. Other times, I sat at the island hanging out, talking. 

Incorporate Fun and Play –

You can do this with themed cooking nights or other creative recipes. For little kids even a middle schooler “fun” is everything. Turn mundane tasks like washing dishes into enjoyable family activities with a little healthy competition or the reward of a family favorite tasty treat. Having something to look forward to always lightens the load!

#2 Implement Age-Appropriate Involvement

For younger children: Assign Simple Tasks

Regardless of age, you can easily include your family in the kitchen with age-appropriate tasks like washing vegetables, stirring ingredients or operating small appliances. My babies may be small, but they are not unhelpful.

My son (who is 2) loves operating the vacuum sealer for me when we’re preserving food at home. And my baby girl (who’s 1) likes to switch the lever of our food processor when I have a mountain of veggies to chop. And they both know where we keep the compost & recycle bins. So once a task is complete, we work on sorting between the two.

Never underestimate them & always put their willingness to work!

Other tasks young children can do in the kitchen (with supervision of course!):

And listen, I know having babies underfoot can be difficult, but pop them into a chair on the counter to let them watch you while playing with a bowl & spoon. My babies practically live in the Bumbo a friend gifted us for our first.

Baby-wear them in a way that they can see what’s going on. The experience for them is greater than you might think so expose them early & often!

For everyone else: Delegate Roles Based on Skill Level

Now, as the one in charge most times, this is going to require some careful attention on your part. You need to recognize where each family member’s strength lies in the kitchen then lean into that! If you lead with their strength or interest first, it might be easier to get the participation without much quibbling because they’ll have a greater understanding of the big picture.

But if everyone seems to like doing the same thing, use a rotation system – Monday’s he does this. Tuesday’s she does it. As a bonus, delegating by interest is how you can almost guarantee things will be more efficient. 

Some tasks will require more than interest. And that’s where you’ll need to assign roles to match everyone’s skill levels. Young children will need more guidance or supervision than older children, but they’re still just as capable. 

#3 Add Family-Friendly Projects

DIY Family Projects

Encourage & include your family in the kitchen in ways that don’t mean having to do dishes or stand over a hot stove. For instance, plan a few exciting projects to do together like creating a family cookbook or planting a kitchen herb garden. The cookbook is something I’d especially love to do with my family because it can be passed down!

Plus, while I think growing any amount of our own food is important for self-sufficient living, I’m still not entirely thrilled about being outside gardening. Not just yet anyway, but I must say the first time we ever container gardened anything, my husband was right there with me moistening & mixing soil in a tote at 11 o’clock at night in the middle of our tiny apartment kitchen. 

The only thing I’d say is when picking out these collaborative projects be sure they align with your kitchen self-sufficiency goals. Freezer meals, home-cooked meals or just healthy eating in general may be some of your goals. Start with projects & crafts that will help you meet them.

Take time to chronicle the recipes your family loves & all your own cooking traditions or shared moments into a kitchen journal. Similar to creating a family cookbook, this is something that can also be referenced in future generations. It’s a tangible record of your kitchen heritage & while it might not capture 100% of everything you’ll do, over the years it will be a cherished & most valuable resource. Trust me. You might even start hosting a family food swap to really jazz things up a bit.

#4 Incorporate Family-Friendly Recipes

It might also be as simple as setting the table with all the toppings or assembling your food together.

#5 Include Your Family in the Practical Bits

Some things will just always happen in/around the kitchen. Cooking, cleaning, stocking, eating. But the behind-the-scenes parts should be up for grabs when it comes to family time too! Include your family in the kitchen when it comes to planning & scheduling. Find time slots that work for the entire family, whether it’s weekend breakfasts or dinner preparation. And by making it a regular event, you’ll build consistency.

Also take them with you when/if you do meal planning. Which if you aren’t you should because this step alone saves my family hundreds of dollars in groceries every month. But, I digress ahahaha

Include your family because they might get a never-before-seen look at the way your mind works. And that could be just what they need to develop their own methodology around food. If you include them here, you also provide a way to accommodate everyone’s preferences & hopefully avoid having picky eaters. At least most times. You can discuss menus & even divvy up the responsibilities then too. Similar to what I learned from Jessica of Three Rivers Homestead, you can use a “lottery system” for this. Once tasks are listed, everyone can choose what they’ll do. It may be a judicious, efficient way to go about it. And it also helps members be dependable!

Related video: Jessica (Three Rivers Homestead) on Creating Cheerful Helpers

Conclusion

So, don’t wait until you’re eating home-cooked food at family dinners. You’re already spending time doing the things, take the chance to include your family in the kitchen. Over time, you’ll see how powerful a move it is.

And I get it – maybe you don’t feel confident yet about canning or restocking the rice bin when you have babies underfoot. That’s ok. I simply want to encourage you to take one step today, one step tomorrow. Let them see you, be that role model they’ll remember later on. If you include your family (regardless of age) in the things you’re doing, you all will grow together.

Spend the little bit of time now because you truly never know what memory will make a lasting impact on your loved ones. What activity they did with you that keeps coming back to them over & over again. They may not remember how much food you went through correcting or the “fresh ingredients” they prepared. But they’ll remember the love they felt making bowls of beef stew from the slow cooker on winter evenings. The stories you share & maybe even the music or smell of it all.