Own snacks under 10 sounds reasonable

I think it depends on your child and how much exposure they’ve had.
My three year old likes to help a lot when I’m cooking so I think she would be able to be more competent in making herself something compared to those who haven’t been exposed to any of those sorts of skills.

I don’t think you name a single age that kids are competent in the kitchen, it all depends on each individual child. My son was 10 and cut himself opening a tin of spaghetti. It’s a fine line between them not being capable and them being just lazy. My partners mum did everything for him, now I’ve inherited it all. Very frustrating at times

Getting kids involved with cooking at a young age can be beneficial. Starting with simple tasks, I don’t think 6 is too young.

Wow 9 that is young. My youngest is nearly 9 and she is no where near ready to do any of this by herself. Me eldest is 11 and she can but still needs a hand with a few things. She prefers to bake instead of cook though!

i have toddlers – i can’t wait for them to begin getting their own food! i say encourage it as early as you can!

It’s all about teaching the behaviour. Getting them involved as a toddler is a great start!

It is hard to let go and allow them to make a mess in the kitchen but good for their confidence and independence. I guess the child will show an interest and then you know. However supervision is key.

You have to be careful with knives and hot things, but they can do simple things like make a sandwich from an early age.

My 7 year old grandson likes to cook albeit simple meals however children today are very confident. I think 6 is an age where you can start teaching them.

My kids always wanted to help in the kitchen and they could cook something for themselves by the time they were 9 and scouting and guides encouraged them to get a badge by cooking a meal for the family at around that age. It certainly helps them once they leave home – one more thing not to have to do from scratch.

I always get my daughter to help out as its a great way to teach kitchen safety and meal prep skills. Plus she takes pride in the meal and eats it. She has been helping me since she could stand on the stool next to me and when my son is older I will get him to help as well

My son is 3 and has always been interested in food and making it, so I always bring him in to the kitchen to help me. Whether it’s helping cut the veggies for dinner or mixing the batter for a cake, I think that if they are interested and wanting to learn to let them.

Learning to prepare food and to cook are important life skills and learning to prepare snacks and meals is also fun. Of course the skill level and responsibility level goes according to the appropriate age.

Yes if they don’t have to cook them up. They seem to rely on my cooking still.

My oldest is not yet 2 so he doesn’t cook but he likes to help in the kitchen. I think encouraging helping and cooking activities is great but also doesn’t need to be rushed each child is different and does different things at different ages. Just offer opportunities while he’s still little and progress as he grows.

Nothing wrong with teaching your kids these life skills from a young age as long as they’re safe. Some kids will love kitchen activities, some don’t.
When I was young I was the baker in the family, I cooked dinner, always made the breakfast table and prepared the lunches for all my siblings. I liked it, my siblings didn’t.
With my own family now, my 9yr old has RAD and kleptomania and the cupboards are locked, which is limiting for all of the members of our family.

I would feel more comfortable with the basics and nothing with hot water or open flames

If you are in a house that all the taps are fairly high and the benches are wide 6 y.o. child may not be able to reach the tap without standing on a step, which depending on the floor surface may not be safe. If snacks are low enough where they are stored they should be able to get them. You may prefer them to ask first rather then just take one otherwise some kids tend to snack and not eat their meals. A 6 y.o. should be able to make toast provided the power points aren’t too high (ours were) and get the milk out of the fridge for cereal. Ours are allowed to use the microware to heat it. They are allowed to help prepare food to go in the oven but are not allowed to use it themselves. They don’t watch out for our toddler who is still learning not to touch some things.

My kids 6 and 8 get their own breakfast most mornings, I do cooked breakfasts on weekends, they always like helping prep meals, I want my kids to know how to cook for themselves when they are older.