Online Cooking Classes For Kids 8 Years Old & Up
If you’ve always wanted to teach your kids to cook but haven’t found the time yet, don’t lose hope. Check out these online cooking classes for kids 8 years old and up who can do it by themselves!
As a mom, my job is to prepare my kids to leave the nest with all the skills they need to be successful. I always planned on teaching my kids to cook.
Someday. When I had a minute.
Unfortunately, as a full-time working mom who also homeschools full-time, I fell into the trap of just doing it myself. After all, it’s faster and easier for mom to do all the cooking, right?
Then I saw my son trying to cut cheese with a steak knife and realized I failed.
What Age Should A Child Start Cooking?
Before you catch your child in the kitchen, narrowly avoid chopping off a finger.
Ideally, your children should be helping in the kitchen from a young age. You’d be surprised what your younger kids can do with a little patience, training, and guidance.
Just remember to start them off with simple tasks that are age and skill-appropriate. Check this list of Cooking Skills by Age.
When my kids were super small, my mom had them busy baking with her. They loved to mix up the ingredients standing on a stool with flour everywhere!
Then she moved away, and my kids were no longer learning in the kitchen.
Teaching Kids To Cook
Does this sound familiar? I knew I needed to teach the kids to cook.
After all, the way homeschool kids want a snack every 5 minutes, it’s not like I was teaching them something they would never use.
In fact, every homeschool year, I would dutifully write “cooking lessons” in their homeschool plan, gather up recipe books, and set out binders to gather their fun recipes.
Kid Chef Junior Every Day: My First Easy Kids’ Cookbook
Food Network Magazine The Big, Fun Kids Baking Book: 110+ Recipes for Young Bakers
All nice and tidy.
And that is as far as it would get. Sigh.
As a busy mom who works full time, I knew cooking skills would benefit my kids for life!
The problem is life is busy—time flies.
Before I knew it, my kids should have known certain things ages ago, like using a kids knife skills correctly.
If you had great intentions like I did, but didn’t manage to make it happen, NO guilt! I’m going to share a great program with you that will get your kids flying solo in the kitchen in no time.
Online Cooking Classes For Kids
I always thought I had to teach my kids all the things. But as a homeschool mom, I’ve learned sometimes it is better if someone else does the teaching.
I’ve learned to take advantage of online programs for all kinds of homeschool subjects like math and art, so why not cooking?
Years ago, I invested in the Kids Cook Real Food Program and I share my Kids Cook Real Food Review about how that worked for us.
However, if your kids are older, say around 8 or so, I would recommend starting with their Kids Cook Solo Program.
What Is The Kids Cook Solo Program?
“Kids Cook Real Food’s new Independent Training Program gives young cooks confidence in the kitchen!”
It is online cooking classes for kids that are designed to teach your kids to cook without you.
That’s right, you mama get to take a break.
See Katie, the instructor and mom of 4, understand how busy we are and the struggle around the dinner time rush.
What’s Included In The Kids Cook Solo Program?
Inside these online cooking classes for kids, you get access to:
- 14 basic kitchen skills
- 15 professionally filmed videos of independent learning building independent cooks
- 12 months access, at your own pace
- Kid-friendly recipes, 100% real food
- Instruction directly to children with 5% adult supervision
How To Get Started With Kids Cook Solo Program
The last thing you need “one more thing” on a screen for your kids to do — with a ton of prep time, which is why I love how easy it is to get started with the Kids Cook Solo Program.
After you purchase, your login details will be sent via email. Visit your dashboard and click on the Kids Solo Program.
I love that she includes flashcards for each lesson and a grocery shopping list organized by the lesson.
The program is very easy to set up. You need to log in and let your kids loose!
How Independent Is The Kids Cook Solo Program?
The new Independent Training Program for kids ages 8 and up is “independent” for two reasons:
- Kids work independently with only 5 to 10 minutes of supervision from an adult per session.
- By the end, your kids will be independent in the kitchen and able to make dishes or even all of the dinner on their own.
Teacher Katie Kimball omitted sharp knives from these online cooking classes, added in some presentation skills and designed a special kids-only area in the membership dashboard with no distractions and simple step-by-step language.
Here’s what is included:
- 15 video lessons so that your child knows exactly how to be safe in the kitchen
- Student login to a membership area with zero distractions or outside links – productive screen time with simple directions.
- Parent login so you know what they’re up to
- Over a dozen cooking skills taught!
- Kid-friendly recipes that are easy to follow
- No processed junk – 100% healthy food
The 5% Adult Help Needed
So precisely what is needed from you? Besides buying the groceries, you’ll need to log in and let your kids know what lesson to do.
When you log into your dashboard, you will see a complete grocery list to save you time and printable flashcards. I would recommend printing these in color, getting the kids to cut them out, and laminating them.
They will read the lessons and watch online cooking classes. These lessons take about 10-15 minutes.
You may need to jump in and demonstrate a skill in person that Mrs. Kimball is showing on the screen. However, this is pretty rare since Mrs. Kimball does a great job explaining things.
Why Kids Love These Online Cooking Classes
Have you ever noticed the more control a child has, the happier they are? The Kids Cook Solo Program is designed for kids to do everything independently from start to finish.
I knew two of my friends were using this program with their kids. So I asked what their kids loved about it.
Abigail’s son J, who is 10 years old, said, “Just being able to cook on my own!” Abigail said, “The kids were tickled pink by having permission to do EVERYTHING on their own from start to finish. You can tell they took pride in cooking independently.”
This is a picture of the Ranch Dip Mix from the Kids Cook Solo Program.
Their favorite lesson is learning how to open and close the oven- and actually putting food in and out! They usually are not allowed to do it because of the risks involved, but it was pretty thrilling to learn how to do it safely.
What a relief it is when our kids learn how to handle kitchen appliances safely!
Online Cooking Classes For Kids Let Them Be The Teacher!
One of the best ways to make sure my kids understand something is to get them to teach me.
When my daughter gets stuck in math, I get her to explain it to me. I usually have no idea what she is talking about, but as long as she understands what she means, we are good!
The Kids Cook Solo Program uses the same method.
During each self-paced lesson, Mrs. Kimball asked the kids to present the cooking skills they were learning to their “adults” in each lesson to ensure that they understood it before making the recipe independently.
While kids may not be a fan, this mama is! It is a great way to make sure they understand, and you’ll feel confident they are being safe in the kitchen.
How Are These Online Cooking Classes Different?
In the Kids Cook Solo Program, Katie talks directly to the kids. The lessons are written in simple, clear language your child can understand.
There are no sidebar ads, no auto-play videos, no distractions!
And no knives. Sharp knives make parents nervous, so Katie took them out.
For the record, I highly recommend her knife skills online lessons if you want to ditch that fear!
Is this your child’s first time stepping into the kitchen? No worries, the lessons start with the basics.
Any child who can read and be trusted to follow directions on their own is a perfect fit for Kids Cook Solo, especially if they have any interest in cooking themselves.
Kids Cook Solo Program Recipes & Allergies:
Another big difference is that Kids Cook Real Food programs focus on teaching healthy cooking for life.
The recipes are all 100% real food, from scratch, with no processed stuff. The kids learn to cook with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, eggs, cheese, and meat (in one class) – the basics.
As someone who has food sensitivities, I asked Katie before using the program about the included recipes. I wanted to know about food allergies.
She informed me that as long as your child doesn’t freak out about not following the video exactly (she has one of those kids-so she understands!), the recipes are easy to adjust. There are no nuts in the independent training program.
All the recipes but one are gluten-free, and a substitute recipe is provided.
If your child can’t or won’t eat something, they can either swap it out or practice the skill using their own favorite recipe.
The beauty of these online cooking classes for kids is that the focus is on the skills, not the recipes.
Are Vegetarian Or Vegan Recipe Options?
The classes focus on skills, not recipes. Each recipe can be adapted, and for vegan or vegetarian, I know some will need to be changed.
For example, one skill is scrambling eggs. While there’s just no substitute for eggs when the skill you’re teaching is “cooking scrambled eggs.” Your family may have something else you can scramble to teach that skill.
Four skills that involve eggs, ground meat, and white sauce would need replacements.
Since kids are trying to do this independently, I’d only recommend that kids on the older end (8 and up) and very independent already tackle the program if the family eats a vegan diet. Katie covers this question and more in the FAQ.
What Age Is Kids Cook Solo Best For?
These online cooking lessons are for ages 8+. As long as your child can read and follow directions, they will enjoy the program.
Abigail said that her ten-year-old was the one who mainly used the program, but the seven and five years olds enjoyed watching the videos and helping here and there.
If you have older kids, as I do, they would also build skills well with this course (such as cooking skills, study skills, and build your child’s confidence), although they’d have to be ok with the tone of voice in the videos speaking to younger children.
Will This Work For Siblings?
If you have more than one child, you do not need to purchase individual online cooking classes.
Since they are online, you can log in from any device, anywhere, to view the course materials. The parent has the log in information and your kids can access the lessons.
However, if your children get along, you should be ok to do all the cooking together. My kids could watch the videos together but when it came to actually cooking, they each had separate tasks or days because they fought.
How Much Time Does Kids Cook Solo Program Take?
As soon as you log in, you can access the entire program, which means you can move as fast or as slow as your child needs.
If you are using the program with multiple children, I recommend adjusting it for the slowest child. We liked one lesson a week.
To prepare for the lessons, Abigail shared with me a great tip! She bought any ingredients she needed in one big shopping trip and froze the meat for a future lesson.
This saves time and money!
Will They Learn To Do The Dishes?
The answer is simple, YES!
This is a screenshot from Lesson One: Foundations. The skill is “cleaning up.”
The course encourages our kids to clean up after they are done cooking. (spoiler alert: it says to load the dishwasher or, if you have time, wash the dishes)
The Drawback Of Kids Cook Solo Program
One question I love to ask others is, what didn’t you like about the program? It’s essential to have a heads-up about things that may not fit your family.
The only one I could find with the Kids Cook Solo Program is that you have limited time access to the course, 12 months to be exact.
While that gives you plenty of time to do the lessons, even if you only tackle one per month, you’ll need to upgrade to the VIP Program if you want lifetime access.
Honestly, that deadline can be a great motivator. You have 12 months to get it done, no waiting on the good intentions that never come.
Using Kids Cook Solo Program As A Working Mom
As a working mom, you need to look at homeschool programs in a different light. You need to consider the normal requirement, such as making sure it fits your child’s needs and if it is worth the time and energy investment on your part.
These online cooking classes for kids are designed to be used independently, which is vital for any mom who works.
It actually gives you back time to do other things like getting some work done, housework done, or take a few minutes for self-care because your kids are busy learning.
If you are worried about screen time, keep in mind the classes are only 5 to 15 minutes, and then your kid will be working with their hands, creating something delicious and healthy to eat.
We know our kids need more creative time, and this is the most productive way I can think of!
Kids Cook Solo Program, Is It Worth It?
I never thought I’d be the mom who purchased online cooking classes to teach my kids to cook.
Why bother when I can teach them myself? The problem was, I didn’t. It took watching my child almost slice themselves open before I started investing in online classes.
Maybe you’ve debated on buying Kids Cook Real Food classes for a long time because you always thought *you* could teach your kids just fine. That’s great, as long as you follow through.
But if you are looking to remove something from your already full plate by outsourcing, save time, and help your kids feel proud and independent of mom, I highly recommend Kids Cook Solo Program.
Teaching my kids to cook is the best thing I’ve ever done as a working mom. I love coming home for a home-cooked dinner I didn’t make!
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Hi, I’m Jen. I help working moms juggle their career and homeschool their kids by providing support, systems and tools. You are warmly invited to Join the Online Community Here!
