Our Favorite Summer Recipes for Kids … Fun Cooking Activities for Even the Littlest Chefs!

~ These recipes for kids are the perfect springboard to hours of summer fun … and deliciously nutritious eating! Whether your kiddos are little and still need lots of help in the kitchen, or they’re teens who can handle most of the cooking themselves, you’ll all enjoy these yummy, easy, adorable ideas! ~

Ever since Amy and Ty were tiny, I’ve loved getting them into the kitchen with me every chance I get!

There are lots and lots of terrific reasons for kids to cook with you, besides the fact that it can be wonderful, memory-making fun.

So many opportunities for learning, and for family bonding!

Depending on how old your kiddos are, you can teach cooking skills, talk about the mathematics of measuring (yay … fractions!), discuss where different foods come from and what makes some foods more nutritious than others, and share family stories and traditions that center around the foods you’re making.

If you’ve read our articles on parenting picky eaters, then you know I also truly believe that getting your children involved in the cooking really helps kids to be less … well, picky.

The more chances that your kids have to experience foods in different ways, the more familiar and inviting those foods will seem (and the more likely kids will be to try them). And, when kids help make the food … by choosing the recipe, going along to the grocery store, or lending a hand with the cooking … they feel more personally invested, and they’re more likely to sample the food (and like it!).

I’ve seen all these principles at work through the years, as I’ve spent time cooking with Amy and Ty, and I hope our recipes will encourage you to cook even more often with your own little ones!

And summer’s an absolutely perfect time to do it!

Whether you’re looking for an easy dinner the kids can help you make, a fun project to keep ’em busy on a summer afternoon, an “edible art” activity that doubles as a snack for a playgroup, or even a great little snack kids will love making together during summer birthday parties or sleepovers … we’ve got lots of ideas and recipes for kids to try. Plenty of reasons to gather them up with you in the kitchen, and get cooking!

“Veggie Faces” No-Bake Vegetable Pizzas and Wraps

It’s amazing how creative kids get with an artist’s palette of garden-fresh veggies! Also amazing: how willing kids are to try new vegetables once they’re done crafting them into fun “veggies faces”!

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Ants on a Log 2.0

Remember Ants on a Log … one of those absolutely classic recipes for kids? Well, we’ve got loads of suggestions for taking that to a whole new level of nutrition … and creative fun! Lay out a spread of veggie sticks and sliced fresh fruits, plus some of our great topping ideas … then step back and watch the kids make their own healthy snacks! (Hint: be sure to check out our favorite creation of all … a Peach Stegosaurus!)

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“Instant” Peanut Butter-Banana Ice Cream

Although younger kiddos will need your help using the blender, they’ll love being put in charge of adding all the ingredients for this easy summer treat! (And don’t worry – when we say ALL the ingredients, we’re talking 5 … just 5!) Plus, children of all ages (ahem … that’s you, too, mom and dad!) will be thrilled to see how truly “instant” a deliciously nutritious instant dessert can be! No waiting to reap the rewards – it’s instant gratification all the way!

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Apple Monsters

We originally posted these darling beasties for Halloween … but let’s be honest – kiddos love monsters any time of year! (And you’ll love how healthy these silly guys are!)

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Any of Our Fun-to-Make, Yummy, Healthy Energy Bites (We Call ’em Snack Bites)

Here at THK, it all started with Snack Bites, right from our very first recipe for classic, Quick and Healthy Snack Bites. We’ve also got loads of other kid-pleasing flavors to choose from: Almond Joy, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Cookie Dough, Tropical, Peanut Butter Cup, and Maple-Walnut Oatmeal (pictured above). They’re all easy to make no-bakes that really let kids dig in and get their hands messy as they help roll these delicious, energy-filled snacks! Bonus: these stockpile perfectly in the freezer for busy, on-the-go summer days!

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No-Bake Fruit “Pizzas”

We’ve got so many ideas for spreads, toppings and sprinkles – even really little kiddos will want to get involved in making their own unique creations! If your kids like Lunchables, they’ll love these Fruit Pizzas! Absolutely terrific with all that gorgeous summer fruit!

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Pineapple Orange Creamsicle Smoothies

That iconic summer flavor – Orange Creamsicle – gets a refreshing flavor twist, plus a big, big nutrition boost! Older kids can tackle this simple recipe alone, and younger ones can help add ingredients while you man the blender. Either way, it’s a slam-dunk favorite that’s ready in a flash! For even more smoothie inspiration, check out our Classic Strawberry Banana Smoothie, our protein-packed “Elvis” Peanut Butter-Banana Smoothie, and our showcase list of some of the Internet’s most popular healthy smoothie recipes ever!

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Hungry Hippos Sandwiches

Seriously fun to make … and eat! We’ve got easy-to-follow instructions, plus lots of ideas for spreads and fillings (including completely nut-free options)! Kids will love customizing these unique, yummy hippos!

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Rainbow Veggie Kabobs

Eating a rainbow just got so much more enticing! We’ve got great suggestions for color-coded veggies, so kids can make their own edible (healthy!) rainbows! A great little afternoon snack … or enlist your troops to help you make these easy kabobs for picnics and backyard parties! The kids will love showing off their kitchen skills as friends enjoy this terrific alternative to the same-old-same-old picnic veggie tray!

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Mini Deep Dish Pizzas + Dessert

Great when the kids have friends over, or as a unique spin on family pizza night – everyone can customize their own, personal little pizzas! Tiny fingers are perfect for helping to divide toppings and press the dough into the muffin cups, and it’s always so empowering for kids to be able to choose their own toppings (hint … try to offer plenty of enticing veggie options, and you just might be surprised at what they’ll try!).

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4-Ingredient Fat Free Chocolate Pops (Easy Homemade Fudgesicles)

Just 4 pantry-staple ingredients! No kidding! And fat free, too! You’ll be amazed how much these taste like those nostalgic Fudgesicles, and you’ll feel so much better about your kiddos eating this version! They’re so easy to make, too – really do-able for kids! And after these, be sure to check out another of our must-try popsicle faves: Strawberry Sundae Yogurt Ice Pops, filled with kid-approved sundae flavors but also loads of nutrition!

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Healthy Yogurt Parfaits

It’s so much fun to customize your own parfait! And with all our ideas for healthier “toppings” these blow the nutritional doors off traditional ice cream parfaits! They’re a perfect treat for play groups and slumber parties, when you want to keep the kids busy with a project … plus get them fed … plus avoid loading ’em up with sugar crazies that you’ll have to manage a few minutes later. These healthier Yogurt Parfaits are all of that in one kid-approved treat!

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Fruit Rainbow

The yummiest-ever lesson in good ole ROY G BIV! Kids’ll have a blast learning the colors of the rainbow as they nibble their way through this healthy breakfast! And that pretty, perfectly-round egg? Position it as the sunshine, or as the rainbow’s pot of gold – we show you how (and your kids will be delighted!).

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3-Ingredient “Chocolate-Covered Strawberry” Frozen Greek Yogurt Bites

Sweet and refreshing on a hot day, yet nourishing and really easy to make (no blender needed!). We show you how to make these as super-fast little yogurt dots (a great project for really young kiddos), plus offer options to upgrade these to a more creative project with shaped molds and different cute ideas for popsicle “sticks.” No matter how you make ’em – they’ll be a total summertime hit!

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As Ty and Amy head to high school this fall, I’m realizing all over again how very fast childhood goes. I hope these fun, healthy recipes for kids – ones that are truly near and dear to my own family’s heart – will bring you as much joy as they’ve brought us, and that they’ll give you plenty of inspiration for making some memories together as a family this summer!