How to teach your kid to help in the kitchen (ages 6+)

Every kid who someday cooks dinner for the family starts with a small job, like washing a handful of grapes or putting the forks out. Those first jobs don't take much skill, and that's why they matter. They teach a child that the kitchen is a place where they belong and help out.

The CDC's parenting tips for ages 6 to 8 name setting the table as an example of a household task that builds responsibility. Here's how to teach it, plus three other starter jobs.

Before anything else: wash hands

Every kitchen job starts at the sink. The CDC says to scrub with soap for at least 20 seconds. FoodSafety.gov suggests humming "Happy Birthday" twice as a timer, and says to wash before, during and after preparing food.

Show your child the parts that get skipped: the backs of the hands, between the fingers and under the nails. Then let them be the "hand inspector" for the rest of the family before dinner. Kids love enforcing rules.

Job 1: Wash fruit and vegetables

This is the perfect first kitchen job. It's useful, there's water involved, and it's hard to get wrong.

1. Rinse under running water. The FDA says to use plain running water, with no soap, bleach or produce washes.
2. Rub with hands, or scrub firm produce like potatoes, cucumbers and melons with a clean produce brush.
3. Dry with a clean towel or paper towel.
4. Wash before peeling or cutting, even if you won't eat the peel. Germs on the outside can get carried inside by the knife.

One exception: produce labeled "pre-washed" doesn't need washing again, according to FoodSafety.gov. And raw meat, poultry and eggs should not be rinsed, because that sprays germs around the sink. That makes it a good rule to teach early: "We wash fruits and veggies, not meat."

Job 2: Set and clear the table

Setting the table is a sneaky math lesson: counting people, matching one fork to each plate, left and right.

• Draw a placemat map. On a piece of paper, trace a plate, fork, knife, cup and napkin in the right spots. Your child sets each place by matching the map.
• Start with what can't break. Napkins and silverware first, then plastic cups, then real plates when they're ready.
• Clearing counts too. Each person carries their own plate to the counter, and the table-setter wipes up at the end.

Job 3: Wipe the counter

Wiping teaches a surprisingly useful habit: clean as you go.

1. Clear the counter first. Move things off, don't wipe around them.
2. Wipe in rows, like mowing a lawn, from the back of the counter to the front.
3. Push crumbs into a cupped hand at the edge, not onto the floor.
4. Rinse the cloth, and hang it to dry.

FoodSafety.gov recommends washing countertops with hot, soapy water after they've held raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs. That cleanup is a grown-up job for now; everyday crumbs and spills are perfect for kids.

Job 4: Help make a whole meal

Once your child can do the first three jobs, put them together. Pick one dinner a week where your child is your helper from start to finish: they wash the vegetables, set the table and wipe up afterward.

Give them a role with a name, like "salad captain" or "table boss." Kids rise to a title.

What to expect at this age

• It will be slower. Plan five extra minutes. You're investing in a helper you'll have for years.
• It won't be perfect. A crooked fork is still a set table. Fix it later if you must, but not in front of them.
• They'll want to do the "real" job. That's a good sign. Knives and stoves come later. See knife skills for kids and cooking on the stove when you're ready.

Make it a quest

In Family Quests, these jobs are the Kitchen Helper skill, the first step on the Kitchen branch. Your child taps "Explore," sees the steps in pictures and simple words, does the job for real, and sends you a quick photo or a tap. You approve it, and they earn XP and coins toward the next skill. Start free and see what they pick first.

Next: teach your kid to make a sandwich and pack a lunch, or read why cooking with kids pays off.