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My kids always want to help when I’m cooking, and for a long time “helping” mostly meant stirring something in a bowl or handing me ingredients. Then we got a set of kid-safe knives, and they could finally take on a job that felt like actual cooking. We have the Tovla Jr. Kid Safe Knife Set, which comes with three serrated nylon knives in different sizes. They’re simple, lightweight and easy for little hands to use.
These aren’t pretend kitchen tools. My kids use them to cut softer foods like strawberries and avocado, and it gives them a job they can do mostly on their own while I’m making dinner. I still supervise while they’re using them, but it allows them to participate. If I’m cutting fruit, I can hand over a few strawberries. If we’re making guacamole, they can work on the avocado. It turns cooking into something they can participate in instead of something they’re watching me do. The serrated edges do require a little sawing motion, so there’s a bit of a learning curve at first. But once they get it, the knives are useful.
If you want more than just knives, this 13-piece kids cooking set gives them a whole little workstation of their own. It includes several kid-friendly knives, two cutting boards, a crinkle cutter, peeler and sandwich cutters. I like this option for a child who's really interested in cooking, or as a gift, because there are enough different tools to make it feel like their own cooking set. For us, the simple knife set has been enough for everyday use. But I could see the larger set being especially fun for a kid who wants to be involved every time someone walks into the kitchen.
If your kid loves the idea of cooking but you don’t necessarily want to invent a kid-friendly recipe every weekend, I’m The Chef Too makes themed cooking and baking kits for kids. The kits combine baking with activities built around subjects like space, geology and science. Ingredients are pre-measured, and they include the specialty supplies needed for the project. There are individual kits as well as subscriptions. It’s the kind of thing I love to break out on a rainy afternoon or a school break.
Giving my kids their own knives has made it much easier to say yes when they ask to help with dinner. They get a real job, I can keep working beside them, and occasionally a few strawberries even make it into the bowl.