Cooking Skills Develop with Practice over Time

2 Years
Scrub Vegetables
Tear Lettuce Leaves
Snap Green Beans
Dip & Wash Salad Greens
Break Cauliflower

3 Years
Wrap Potato in Foil
Pour Liquids (not hot)
Mix Foods
Shake Liquids
Spread Soft Spreads

4 Years
Peel Hard Cooked Egg
Roll Orange
Squeeze Juice from an Orange
Mash Bananas
Crack Eggs

The above chart lists common cooking tasks that your 2, 3, or 4 year old child may be able to help with.

Directions: Put a check ( ? ) next to each task that your child already does. And use the additional ideas to encourage your child to try a new task.

Reprinted with permission from the Child and Adult Food Care Program (CACFP) New York.