How to get kids cooking

Whether you need ideas for fun snacks and recipes to make with little ones, or are just looking for clever ways to keep them entertained, we're here to help you – and your little chefs – enjoy spending time in the kitchen

Whip up Chris Baber's speedy homemade crumble

You can't beat a crumble, and Chris Baber's simple recipe is perfect for little ones to help out with. "If you don't have fresh fruit to hand, frozen fruit is a great substitute," he says. "Use a mixture of blueberries, cherries, raspberries or whatever you've got – either way, everyone's going to be going back for seconds."

Let the kids help with measuring out the ingredients, rubbing together the crumble topping with their fingertips, and keeping a check of the cooking time.

400-500g frozen fruit (whatever you have available)
100g sugar
4 tbsp ground almonds (optional)
150g plain flour
75g butter, diced
50g oats or granola

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Pour the frozen fruit into a baking dish and scatter over 25g of the sugar and the almonds. To make the crumble topping, put the flour, sugar, butter and oats into a mixing bowl and rub together with your finger tips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Spread the crumble topping over the fruit and bake for 30-40 minutes until lightly golden. Serve with ice cream, custard or just a splash of milk – delicious.

More recipe inspiration

Serve up some fun fruity snacks

We're all looking for ways to get more fruit into the family these days, but that can be easier said than done. That's where these clever fruit-packed snacks come in – let the kids help make their fruit into different shapes before they dig in. Switch up the fruit with whatever you have to hand.

Pineapple emojis: top pineapple slices with strawberry eyes and mouths to create a range of expressions
Nectarine and blueberry crabs: use half a pitted nectarine, flesh-side down, for the body then nectarine slices to make the legs and pincers. Finish with two blueberry eyes
Apple and grape cars: arrange halved grapes on to slices of apple to look like wheels
Red pepper dip: blitz roasted red peppers with cream cheese to create a pretty-in-pink dip. Serve in cups with red pepper slices for dunking
Peanut butter with apple dippers: as an alternative to toast or breadsticks, dip apple slices into peanut butter
Fruity water: create a low-sugar alternative to juice or soda by adding fresh fruit slices to glasses of sparkling water

A selection of fruit made into fun shapes

Be a smooth operator

Smoothies are a fantastic way to pack loads of fruit into one slurpable drink, and kids love them. The best thing is, there's no need to follow a recipe – use whatever fruit you have to hand, both fresh and frozen. Get inspired with these ideas:

Blitz frozen berries with a handful of oats, a squeeze of honey and a splash of milk
Whizz banana with a dollop of peanut butter, a spoonful of cocoa powder, milk and yoghurt
Try a tropical-inspired smoothie made from frozen mango, pineapple and a squeeze of lime
Go plant based with an almond milk, pear and vanilla smoothie
Try making two-tone smoothies by blending Greek yoghurt with blueberries and honey. Spoon into two glasses, then repeat the process with strawberries instead of blueberries, and spoon on top

Make some monster crunch crudités

Make eating veggies fun – yes, really – with this scarily good snack idea. Let little ones help with arranging the veg in their chosen design.

For the beetroot dip:
4 cooked beetroots, quartered
2-3 tbsp natural yoghurt
A handful of mint leaves, chopped
A squeeze of lemon juice

To serve:
Radishes
Carrots
Sugar-snap peas
Cucumbers
Cooked broccoli
Black olives

To make the dip, blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Cut the veggies into shapes and arrange in a lunchbox in a face shape, then serve with the dip.