Rainy days and half-term holidays call for some time spent cooking with the kids. This guide includes a taste of everything from savoury to sweet. You know your child best – let them complete any tasks that you know they can achieve unaided, under your watchful eye. Save steps involving sharp knives, blades or scissors for yourself, or older children you judge as capable.
Remember to set some rules, too. Always wash your hands before you start and after touching raw meat, stay organised and be sure to read the recipe from start to finish first. Also, keep your worktop tidy, ensure the kids stand clear of hot hobs and ovens, get them involved with washing up and avoid them running around in the kitchen. Most importantly – have fun.
Check out our ideas below for fun half-term cooking activities, then also find more inspiration in our collections of kids cooking recipes and kids baking recipes. If you have some young budding chefs, then our Kids’ Kitchen cookery videos and guides are also a great starting point for teaching them basic kitchen skills.
1. Easiest ever biscuits
Teach little cooks to weigh ingredients, cream butter and sugar, and roll out their dough, then let them loose with their favourite (clean) plastic toys to make their mark on their own completely personalised batch of biscuits. The recipe is particularly good for the youngest cooks as they need only pinch and pull off pieces of dough before rolling it out.
Check out more simple and delicious kids’ biscuit recipes.
2. Hedgehog rolls
Your child’s first bread bakery lesson doesn’t get any cuter than making a batch of these hedgehog rolls. They’re a great way to start a conversation about how we can sometimes make food like bread from scratch rather than always buying it in a packet, or from the bakers. Plus, the chance to decorate the hedgehog faces with dried fruit and nuts is irresistible.
Discover more brilliant bread recipes for kids, from perfect pizzas to easy bread rolls.
3. Chicken skewers with tzatziki
Teach the kids how to make a marinade for these colourful chicken kebabs flavoured with lemon and herbs. A box grater is a neat trick for helping them to grate the cucumber for tzatziki. A few salad leaves, a tortilla to wrap it all up and they’ll be proud as punch to have helped make their own supper.
We’ve got plenty more tempting lunch ideas with these sandwich fillings for kids.
4. Pear and chocolate flapjacks
Flapjacks are a super easy bake to make with kids and only require a handful of ingredients. We’ve included chopped pears in these for a gorgeously squidgy texture and drizzled them in dark chocolate for a touch of indulgence. Porridge oats are a source of slow release energy, so these are a great snack to keep your youngsters going through the day.
See more fabulous flapjack recipes.
5. Easy Greek-style pasta salad
Throw together a Mediterranean-inspired salad using your child’s favourite pasta shapes. Teamed with crumbly feta, juicy cherry tomatoes, fresh cucumbers and crisp onions, it’s full of exciting textures and flavours. Perfect for sunny lunches in the garden, or for packing up to take on a picnic. Our recipe includes all the equipment your child needs along with step-by-step pictures for how to prepare the ingredients and assemble the dish.
For more information on teaching your kids to cook pasta, read our guide on boiling skills. Also browse more of our kids’ pasta recipes for some midweek meal inspiration.
6. Double-dipped shortbread cookies
This recipe is perfect for baking with the children because what can be better than shortbread cookies? Well, cookies dunked in two different types of delicious chocolate! This recipe is simple to follow with only three steps that take 20 minutes of prep time. It’s great for batch cooking as it makes up to 15 cookies, but, if you want to save some for later, you can freeze the raw dough.
Looking for a holiday treat? Delve into more of our kids’ dessert recipes.
7. Easy blueberry muffins
These delicious muffins are a classic for a reason – each moist bite contains a burst of juicy blueberries. Simple with only three steps. They can be prepped and baked in under an hour.
Get more baking inspiration with our kids’ muffin recipes.
8. Chicken & mushroom hot pot
This dish is excellent for cooking with kids to demonstrate the benefits of leftovers. Children can see how one dish can transform into a completely different and tasty meal. It is also great for kids to practise their chopping techniques, with only a few ingredients needing slicing: the onions, mushroom and potato.
We’ve got plenty more chicken recipes for kids to try.
9. Baked veggie korma
This vegan take on an Indian classic is an excellent recipe for children aged seven to 11 to take the lead on. There is a clear list of ingredients, including utensils and step-by-step instructions. Parents may need to take more responsibility for handling the hot dish for younger children.
Discover more fuss-free family traybake recipes and kids’ curry recipes.
10. Fruity skewers with yogurt dip
Teach the kids some basic chopping skills with these fun fruity skewers, served with a yogurt and maple syrup dip. Easy enough for little hands to help assemble, these colourful skewers are a great after-school snack. Our step-by-step images and instructions take them through the correct knife positions to ensure a safe technique. You can also mix up these skewers by making the most of seasonal produce all year round. In the summer, berries, peaches and nectarines are a great choice. In late summer and autumn, you could try making the skewers with plums, apples and pears.
Find more easy no bake recipes for kids.
Like this? Discover more fun kids’ recipes…
Top summer activities for kids
Edible gift projects for kids
Fun baking projects for kids
Pancake recipes for kids
Amazing space projects for kids
Family & kids hub page
Which other recipes do your little chefs like making? Leave a comment below…
