Kids In the Kitchen: Meal Planning
This blog is the second blog in a series of three about ideas to get children of all ages involved in the kitchen. The blog series expands on our previous blog post, From Picky Eaters to Kitchen Helpers: Making Mealtime Fun.
Healthy, affordable eating starts long before you start cooking—it begins with a plan. Teaching children how to plan meals and shop within a budget is just as important as teaching them how to cook. When kids help plan the menu, they are more likely to eat and enjoy meals, and it also helps them learn how to save money and eat a variety of healthy foods.
Decision Makers: Pre-K-2nd Grade
For younger children, start with specific (closed-ended) questions. Ask them, “Should we have broccoli or green beans tonight?” instead of an open-ended question like “What vegetable should we have with dinner?” This gives them power without making planning too hard. It is also fun to have them help pick a theme for a meal, like “Taco Tuesday” or “Pizza Friday,” to make healthy eating feel like a fun event. It is totally OK to have repeat meals in your meal plan!
Kitchen Assistants: 3rd-5th Grade
Older children can help you look at the meal plan for the week. Let them write the meal plan on a family calendar or a dry erase board so everyone can see it. You can also have them check to see what ingredients you have on hand for the week’s recipes – kind of like an ingredient detective. They can make a checklist for the ingredient items and indicate if you have them, and where they are (pantry, refrigerator, or freezer).
Meal Planners: Middle and High School
Pre-teens and teens are ready to learn about budgeting. While at the store, teach them how to read the unit price tag on shelf labels. This shows them how to find the best deal by comparing the cost per unit of measure. You can learn more about using unit pricing in our blog Cutting Costs on Food Using the Unit Price Label. You can also challenge them to compare the price of name-brand items versus store-brand items. After shopping, have them review the receipt to see if the final cost matches the budget you planned. Learning these skills now means they will know how to eat well and save money when they are in charge of preparing meals and buying groceries.
The third and final blog in this series will focus on having kids help include Maine foods in your healthy, budget-friendly meals.