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Do your kids like helping in the kitchen? Do they like watching cooking challenges?

If you answered YES then I have a fun activity for you to try at home. Even if your kids don’t like cooking shows, they will still have a lot of fun with this activity.

So if you aren’t familiar with the Netflix show Nailed It, here is a quick summary. Contestants are shown an extravagant food item, a 3-D cake that looks like President Trump, a cookie that it a self-portrait, or jelly-filled donuts that look like a pirate. The contestants are given a certain amount of time to bake and recreate the dessert.

I decided to give my kids a Nailed It challenge.

1. I wanted to give them something fun and challenging.
2. I wanted to see how good their baking and decorating skills were.

We cook quite frequently. I wanted to see where their skills were without any help from me. I give them standardized tests at the end of the year to see where they are academically. This challenge was a perfect way to assess my kids’ cooking skills.

Plus, it is just plain hilarious to watch!

The Cooking Challenge for Kids

Since the challenge was taking place on the first day of summer, I wanted something summery to make. Honestly, I didn’t want them to each bake a cake (my waistline couldn’t handle it) so I decided on cupcakes.

Over at The First Year blog, Beth has some absolutely adorable octopus cupcakes. It was the perfect challenge. It looked like something the kids could do.

My son actually looked at the cooking challenge and said, “That’s going to be so easy.” I started to worry he was right.

Let me tell you, it wasn’t.

The kids chose the cake and frosting recipe they wanted and set to work. They did all the baking, mixing, coloring the frosting, and decorating for themselves. I didn’t give them a time limit so they were able to take their time.

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As a mom, it was painful to watch. I could see the frosting was waaaay too runny. The way they were choosing to pipe on the frosting was more complicated than it needed to be. The chocolate was not melting how it should so they couldn’t dip their marshmallows.

Everyone was laughing! The kids were even laughing at themselves. It was the most laid back assessment I’ve ever given.

Here is their final products.

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Assessing Cooking Skills in Kids

What I noticed was EXACTLY what cooking skills my kids had and what they didn’t.

For instance, they are pretty good at following a recipe and using a lot of kitchen tools. It is the little tips we learn along the way, adding a little bit of milk at a time to frosting, that they didn’t know.

By stepping back and observing like a cook show judge, I was able to get a sense of:

• what cooking skills they have
• what skills they need to be taught
• how safe they are in the kitchen
• what problem-solving skills they have when a recipe isn’t going right

Kids can even use the challenge to gauge what THEY think they did well and what THEY feel they need to work on.

Here is a FREE printable to help your kids reflect on their cooking challenge. Click the file below to download.

Copy-of-Kitchen-Challenge

Now go out and find a fun recipe. It can be a dessert OR a meal. Your kids could even pick out something they would like to give a try.

Now your job is to supervise and take note of what they can do. You will learn sooo much about their cooking skills. It is a valuable life skill they will never regret having in life.

A cooking challenge is a perfect way to see just what cooking skills your kids have. It will be the first test your kids will be begging to take.

Have you done a cooking challenge with kids? Share your comments below!