Mountains of evidence show that kids tend to learn more and excel as adults when they are exposed to different kinds of organized clubs and activities when they are young. For example, if your kid shows an interest in music, you might sign them up for the school band or chorus. Alternatively, if they like science, you could look for an extracurricular STEM club. And if your kid likes cooking, you should strongly consider starting a kids’ cooking club to let them learn and hone their skills in the kitchen!
But what if your child does not know what they are interested in yet? This is a common issue for most kids and teenagers. They want to participate in activities, but they are unsure what they like and dislike. In some cases, your child might automatically assume that they dislike everything. Naturally, this can make it harder to find a club, activity, or pastime that helps them learn and feel fulfilled.
Fortunately, cooking is a skill that everyone will need at some point in their lives. Parents will not always be around to cook meals for their children, so kids should start learning how to cook and prepare healthy foods from an early age. Sadly, many schools and local communities do not have cooking clubs. Even if there is a cooking club in your area, it is likely designed for adults. For this reason, you probably want to learn how to start a kids’ cooking club for the youngest members of your own family!
So, what do you need to set up a cooking club for kids? When should you schedule club meetings and cooking sessions? Finally, how can cooking kits help make your club even more fun and educational? In today’s guide, we will answer all of these questions and more, but first, let’s define the term “cooking club” and look at a few reasons you should start one!
What Is A Cooking Club & Why Should You Start One?
A cooking club is just like any other club that revolves around a specific theme or activity. For example, in a book club, people read and discuss books. In a chess club, people play chess. So, naturally, in a cooking club, people cook!
However, there may be some confusion between a cooking club and a cooking class. A cooking class is specifically designed to teach people how to cook. There are cooking classes to teach people the basics of cooking, as well as advanced classes to teach people how to make more complex recipes. In any case, a cooking club isn’t much different, although it may be less formal.
In a cooking club, people come together to learn new recipes, practice existing recipes, share their favorite meals, discuss cooking tips, and enjoy the activity of cooking together. This applies whether you are talking about cooking clubs for kids or adults. However, with adults, you don’t necessarily need someone in charge; the club can probably govern itself as a whole. Alternatively, a kids’ cooking club needs an adult to lead the way and keep things organized.
So, how can you start a cooking club for kids? First, you should talk with other parents in your community to see if they are interested in the idea. It might be best to start with the parents of your kid’s friends at school. Even if you only have one or two interested people, you have enough to start a cooking club!
From there, you simply need to organize when and where the kids will meet, who will supervise, and who will provide the cooking tools and ingredients (generally this will be a shared responsibility among the parents). If you’re looking for cooking club ideas, you can find plenty of kid-friendly recipe ideas on Kidstir. Additionally, Kidstir has plenty of cooking kits that can help kids learn how to cook and have a lot of fun at the same time (more on that later).
What You Need To Get Your Cooking Club Set Up
As previously mentioned, you do not need very much to set up a cooking club for kids. The most basic requirements for starting a cooking club for kids are interested participants (kids), chaperones, a cooking area (ideally a kitchen), recipes, and the necessary tools and ingredients to cook. You do not need to overcomplicate things. It really just comes down to finding kids and parents who share your enthusiasm for starting a local cooking club to get the ball rolling!
However, if you are afraid that your kitchen might be a little bare, here are a few essentials that you can pick up at just about any grocery store or culinary shop:
- Frying pan
- Stockpot
- Sheet pans
- Baking dish
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Cutting board
- Kid-safe cooking knives
- Wooden spoon
- Peeler
- Whisk
- Tongs
- Spatula
- Bowls (varied sizes)
- Can opener
- Colander
If you want to create a checklist for your cooking club, be sure to consult with all of the parents involved. Ideally, every child should have certain kitchen utensils of their own (though some tools like pots and pans can be shared). In any case, you do not want to put the burden of supplying the entire club with kitchen essentials on one person.
After School Cooking Clubs
One of the hardest parts of starting and maintaining a cooking club for kids is scheduling conflicts. Whether your kids are in elementary school or high school, you will inevitably have to work with multiple schedules. Perhaps one parent may have to take their kid to soccer practice when two other parents are available. So, do your best to find a schedule that works for everyone. Hopefully, you can even pick a time and day that remains the same each week or month (depending on how frequently your kids want to meet).
It is also important to remember that you could start a cooking club at school. Many schools are willing to start new clubs for kids with the help of parent volunteers. This could help make scheduling conflicts easier by allowing kids to go straight from their last class to the cooking club meeting without ever having to leave the school grounds!
Using Cooking Kits For Your Cooking Club
Now that you know a bit more about starting a cooking club for kids, it is time to actually study what your kids will do when they come together for their first club meeting. Naturally, you will need to have recipes and ingredients prepared for them. You may even need to go the extra mile and prep some of the ingredients if your children are younger. In any case, you will definitely want to do the recipe planning and shopping in advance.
Thankfully, you can make this task far easier by investing in kids cooking kits. At Kidstir, we make kids cooking sets and kits for a wide range of ages and skill sets. Each kit comes with an ingredients list and easy-to-understand instructions. This way, the kids can learn how to cook with minimal adult intervention. Simply provide them with the ingredients and the right tools and watch them make delicious meals together!
Do you want to learn more about acquiring kits for kids cooking clubs? If so, be sure to reach out to Kidstir today!
