Cooking with kids can get messy, but it’s a fun way to teach children about food preparation and healthy eating—and give them some essential life skills. As schools remain closed because of the pandemic, kids who help in the kitchen are also getting an educational boost as they learn math lessons and scientific concepts. In addition, making food at home saves money and creates meaningful family memories in an uncertain time.

There are many engaging videos online to help get your little ones involved in the kitchen. Here are eight of the best sites for kid-friendly cooking videos. All of the sites have free information and are chock full of recipes and ideas. We have highlighted one fun or interesting video from each site.

Don’t be afraid of things getting messy—learning how to clean up is also a great life lesson!

Food Network

This food hub has an extensive collection of videos and recipes to help families cook together.

There are how-to videos about easy baking projects, tips for cooking with children, and kid-friendly dinner ideas such as macaroni and cheese, sloppy joes, and turkey meatballs. One highlight is a video about how to make bunnies, bears, and other animals out of pancakes.

Cooking With Kids

Cooking With Kids is a nonprofit organization that runs programs in schools and communities in New Mexico. Its site has a collection of informative how-to videos for families which focus on fundamental cooking skills including measuring, slicing, kneading, and using herbs and spices. Many of the videos are available in Spanish. One highlight is a video of kids demonstrating how to make a simple and healthy green salad.

Weelicious

Created by a mom of three, this site has kid-friendly recipes that are easy and fun to make. The site’s large collection of lunch ideas goes far beyond PB & J, and there are also options for creative snacks and healthy weeknight dinners. One highlight is the video for grilled pizza roll-ups, which are both cheesy and crispy.

Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver, the well-known British chef and TV personality, advocates for families to cook together. His site has articles about nutrition and meal planning, and many recipes that kids can help out with or make on their own. A charming series of how-to videos features Oliver and his eight-year-old son Buddy cooking together. One highlight is a video of Buddy demonstrating how to make “perfect” scrambled eggs.

Cooksmarts

Cooksmarts is a meal planning service that has a number of instructional cooking videos for young people on its site, many of which focus on basic kitchen skills. A useful article breaks down cooking activities that kids can do at different ages, from toddlers through teenage years. One highlight is a video that teaches young people and beginning chefs how to properly dice a tomato.

Tasty

This video cooking site has a nice collection of fun and creative recipes to make with kids. It also has an offshoot called Tasty Junior which offers videos of simple recipes kids can make on their own. Tasty’s slick videos have lively music and are shot from overhead to focus on the food so viewers can really see what’s going on. One highlight is a video about how to make taco breadsticks that combine pizza dough, cheese, beef, and salsa.

Delish

Delish.com is a foody site with many easy recipes that families can make together, from grilled zucchini to banana pudding. One highlight is a video about how to make guacamole with six ingredients in about 10 minutes.

Cooking with Kyler

This site and entertaining YouTube series features a dad and his daughter cooking all kinds of food together as he teaches her (and viewers) about nutrition and wellness. The videos are endearing and instructive, and highlight the joy that can come from being in the kitchen with children. One highlight is a video about how to make zucchini muffins.