For Kids!

Kids in the Kitchen!

Cooking is fun! Here’s how you can help in the kitchen and keep germs away. Ready? Let’s go!

A young child washing her hands with soap at a clean kitchen sink

The Rules

Six Kitchen Helper Rules

Print this poster and hang it on your fridge!

Be a Kitchen Helper poster with six rules: scrub those hands, no tasting raw dough, rinse fruits and veggies, use your own cup, pick a kid job, and ask a grown-up first.

Save the Poster

Play a Game

Safe or Oops?

Look at each picture. Is it safe, or is it an oops? Tap your answer!

1 of 8

Scrubbing your hands with soap while you sing Happy Birthday two times.

Color Time

Color and Learn!

Print a page, grab your crayons, and color!

Printable coloring page titled Germ Busters with a soap-bottle character, bubbles, germs flying away, and a five-step handwashing checklist: wet, soap, scrub, rinse, dry — Germ Busters!Save

Printable coloring page titled Wait Till It’s Baked with a bowl of dough, an oven of baked cookies, and a four-step baking checklist: mix, bake, cool, eat — Wait Till It’s Baked!Save

For Grown-Ups: The Details Behind Each Rule

The poster covers the kid-facing rules. For the full how-to behind each one, see these guides:

Clean — The full 20-second handwashing routine and when to rewash.
Separate — Why hands need a full wash after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.
Cook — Why raw dough and batter are off-limits until baked, and safe minimum temperatures.
Higher-Risk Groups — Young children are a higher-risk group — extra precautions for what they eat.

Frame every rule as a normal part of cooking, not a warning about danger. Calm, consistent practice helps kids internalize safe habits and keeps the kitchen a welcoming place for everyone in the home.