Parenting Today
Summertime means camping season — and even better, campfire food. Even everyday foods like hot dogs or marshmallows taste extra special when they’re cooked with the smoky seasoning of an open fire.
If you can’t get out into the woods with your family this season or you’re a campfire food connoisseur who’s not interested in sleeping outside (listen, we get it!), try these recipes that will get the kids into the kitchen willingly and bring the essence of camping to your home.
Cooking with Kids: Simple Benefits
Bringing your kids in on mealtime prep builds skills beyond a sense of responsibility. When you involve kids in this process, you’re also getting these diverse benefits:
- Executive functioning skills: The research, planning, and timing elements that go into making a meal are great real-world skills that kids practice when cooking.
- Family bonding: By participating in a shared activity with a tangible result, kids can see how spending time together leads to success (even if the food burns!).
- Math skills: Every part of cooking involves math, even if it’s not obvious. From measuring to setting a timer, kids will apply the math skills they’ve learned in school.
- Reading skills: Even if it’s just a short recipe, kids need to read and practice comprehension when they’re cooking. You can even have them write up a menu if you want to incorporate more skill-building!
- Safety skills: Using knives, stoves, and ovens are important skills, and kids need practice using these tools safely before they can make independent decisions when they’re older.
- Building confidence: Kids need to take risks and try new things to build their self-esteem and confidence. Simply repeating tasks they’ve already mastered doesn’t help them build new pathways to positive self-worth.
- Prioritizing fun: Kids should see that they can turn any activity into a good time! Video games and park days aren’t the only times we can enjoy ourselves.
Campfire Season Recipes
When it’s time to start cooking, these recipes will help kids incorporate a fun summer twist into the kitchen experience they’re building.
Indoor S’mores
What kid doesn’t love s’mores? The gooey marshmallow-and-chocolate treat is always a hit, and you can let kids make them at home using your stovetop or oven.
This is the perfect way to teach younger kids about fire safety and have the older ones practice turning on the burners independently. Make the recipe more exciting by letting kids choose an entire “toppings bar” for their s’mores (think nuts, sprinkles, mini butterscotch chips, and more!).
Foil Packet Dinners
Making a full dinner in a foil packet is a great hack for cooking in the campfire, and you can use the same technique in your oven at home.
Each packet has everything you need for a well-rounded dish, including potatoes, meat, spices, and other veggies. Have kids chop everything themselves and practice incorporating the right amount of seasonings.
Family-favorite recipes include Honey Mustard Chicken, Steak and Potatoes, Hamburger Packets, and Chicken Fajitas.
Skillet Meals
Another great tool for cooking campfire meals is a cast-iron skillet. Whether you’re setting it over hot coals or the stovetop burner, cast-iron dishes are easy for young chefs.
Pizza and nachos are two of the best meals to cook in a skillet. Let the kids experiment with fun toppings to create a dish that’s uniquely their own!
For inspiration, this classic Skillet Pizza and Cast Iron Nachos are good places to start.
Kabobs and Skewers
Cooking over the open fire is so much fun, but kids can bring some of that magic home by making campfire kabobs over a stovetop burner or an outdoor grill.
Kabobs are also a great way to incorporate lots of vegetables and fruits into a meal. When kids help cook, let them choose which items they’d like to eat! Have them practice chopping everything into equal sizes so that the skewer ingredients cook evenly.
These kabob recipes feature everything from chicken to shrimp and will give your kids a great starting point for their own creative recipes.
Even if you can’t make it to the wilderness for a camping adventure this summer, your kids can still make amazing campfire memories with these at-home recipes.
