04 January 2025
How Kids Can Help in the Kitchen to Reduce Food Waste

Getting kids involved in the kitchen is a fantastic way to teach them about the value of food, while also reducing waste at home. Not only does it empower children to make a positive impact on the environment, but it also helps them develop essential life skills.
Here are some simple and fun ways kids can become food waste heroes right in your very own kitchen!
- Become Food Detectives
Encourage kids to look for food that needs to be used up before it spoils. This could be the slightly soft apples in the fruit bowl or the carrots hiding at the back of the fridge. Turn it into a game: Who can find the most “rescue-worthy” ingredients? Once they’ve found the food, brainstorm together what to make with it—like smoothies, soups, or baked treats.
- Help with Meal Planning
Involve kids in meal planning by letting them pick a meal or two for the week. Teach them how to check what’s already in the pantry and fridge before deciding on new ingredients to buy. By including them in this process, they’ll learn about mindful shopping and how to prevent overbuying.
- Practice Portion Control
Kids can help dish up meals, which is a great opportunity to talk about taking smaller portions and going back for seconds if they’re still hungry. This not only reduces food waste but also teaches them to listen to their bodies and avoid overeating. Handy hint: trace around one hand of each member of your family and stick it to your fridge as a visual reminder of how much to portion per person.
- Get Creative with Leftovers
Turn leftover night into an exciting challenge! Let kids come up with fun ways to reimagine leftovers—maybe yesterday’s roasted veggies can become a pizza topping, or leftover rice can be turned into fried rice. Their creativity might surprise you!
- Composting Champions
Teach kids that some food waste is unavoidable, but it doesn’t have to go to landfill. Show them how to separate food scraps for composting. Give them the responsibility of adding scraps to the compost bin or feeding them to a worm farm if you have one.
6. Cooking Simple Recipes
Start with easy, waste-reducing recipes kids can help with. For example:
- Fruit Kebabs: Use fruits that are bruised but still edible.
- Bread Pizzas: Use slightly stale bread as the base.
- Vegetable Stirfry: Toss in a mix of leftover veggies with udon noodles for a quick and easy stir fry.
By cooking themselves (alongside you as a helper), kids are more likely to appreciate the effort that goes into preparing food and will think twice about wasting it.
- Storing Food Properly
Teach kids how to keep food fresh by storing it correctly. They can help by wrapping up leftovers, labelling containers with dates, and learning which fruits and veggies go in the fridge or on the counter. Check out our A-Z storage guide here.
- The Freezer is Your Friend
Introduce kids to the magic of freezing! Get them to help chop and freeze fruits, bread, or herbs before they go bad. This can also be a fun sensory activity as they learn how different foods change in texture when frozen.
- Learn to Love Imperfect Produce
If you have the chance to shop together, encourage kids to pick “funny-shaped” fruits and veggies or help them order a produce box from champions like Misfit Gardens. Explain how these items often get thrown away even though they’re perfectly good to eat. At home, involve them in washing, peeling, and preparing these quirky finds.
- Talk About the Bigger Picture
Share age-appropriate facts about food waste and its impact on the planet.
For example:
- “Did you know that throwing away one loaf of bread is like wasting the water from over 1,000 glasses?”
- “When food goes to landfill, it creates a gas that’s bad for the planet.”
These small conversations help kids understand why their actions matter.
Making Food Waste Reduction Fun
Reducing food waste doesn’t have to feel like a chore—especially for kids. By turning the kitchen into a space for creativity, teamwork, and learning, your children can develop habits that will benefit both your household and the planet.
Do you have other creative ideas or success stories about kids helping in the kitchen? We’d love to hear them! Share your tips here