Cooking with your kids may sound like a daunting task- but we promise the benefits can outweigh the extra cleaning that is sure to come. Getting kids involved in the kitchen can make a lifelong impact on not only your relationship but also their relationship with food.

Encouraging children to learn how to cook at a young age provides them with skills that extend far beyond the kitchen. Cooking fosters essential life skills such as self-sufficiency, creativity, and problem-solving. By learning how to cook, children develop a feeling of being accountable and self-sufficient as they explore the kitchen and follow instructions for preparing meals. It also empowers them to make healthier choices by instilling an understanding of ingredients and inspires them to try new things. Cooking nurtures creativity as children experiment with flavors, textures, and presentation. They learn to adapt recipes, which enhances their problem-solving skills. Making meals together can also be a bonding experience for families, allowing kids to build lasting memories with their loved ones. We strongly believe the benefits of kids learning to cook early in life extend far beyond the kitchen, equipping them with invaluable skills for their future!

Cooking with Kids: Buckwheat Pancake Tacos

One of Jessie’s favorite childhood meals was her Grandma’s buckwheat pancakes, which makes it such a fun and nostalgic meal to make with her 5-year-old daughter, Hazel. Adding the “taco” element makes it a fun and engaging recipe for all little ones! Depending on your child’s age and experience in the kitchen you can either pre-measure your ingredients to let your child focus on mixing and following directions, or let them measure themselves which helps them apply fractions and math to real-world situations.

We followed this recipe to whip up our pancake mix and poured our cakes just about the size of the palm of your hand. Remember to teach your children about kitchen safety when using any heat sources such as a griddle.

After our pancakes were fully cooked with a nice golden color, we placed them in our taco holder (we snagged these from TJ Maxx!). We decided on some fresh fruit to fill our tacos: blackberries, strawberries, and cinnamon sugar apples. But the possibilities are endless! You could fill yours with scrambled eggs and bacon, sausage links, greek yogurt, jelly, or anything else you and your little one feel like!

Naturally, we had to top them off with a little whipped cream and mini chocolate chips!

We hope getting in the kitchen with your kids helps you to bond and create lasting memories. Watching their eyes light up as they get their creative juices flowing is amazing to watch and knowing they are secretly learning all the while is so rewarding!

Is this something you will try whipping up with your kids for Saturday morning breakfast? Let us know in the comments!