Mini Cooks or otherwise known as the Kids love to help out in the kitchen. It's fun and maybe even a tad messy. That's what kitchens are for...eating, cooking, baking and being with people you love. So, turn off their computer, march them into the kitchen military style and announce KP duty. Or, send out an invitation to a "Mini" Cooks Kitchen party where they get to make the treats they eat. Haul out a few aprons, attach to the nearest kids and get going. Master Chefs like you have enough confidence to manage a few kids with floury hands and sticky doughs, right?

Future Gastronomes

This is going to be a trial run for their future in gastronomy. Look over one or two recipe books first. Then, when a general concensus has been taken, you can decide whether you'll venture off into baking, cooking a meal or both. If you plan to start your new "chef's school" with baking, the easiest recipes for kids are cookies. Gingerbread cookies can be done "team"-style. The unforgettable scent of gingerbread cookies baking is a memory your children won't forget. The fun with these are using the cookie cutters and royal icing to create faces, buttons, etc. This is a great example of teamwork and cooperation.

The same method can be applied to making pies, cakes, or bread. With bread-baking, there is a science involved in working with yeast. Perhaps, this might be a good project for an older child. Observing the process of fermenting of the yeast with sugar, butter and heating them in water or milk, as required, to the right temperature, is always trial and error even for the best cooks. Pizza dough is the simplest recipe since it only requires flour, yeast, olive oil and water. The fun is in watching your kids learn to knead yeast doughs and invent pizza toppings. You'll have to "assist" with the pizza sauce if they are too young to use a stove.

Gradual Graduation

Once your kids feel a sense of confidence in the kitchen, parents can "promote" their "cooking students" to breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Encourage them to create restaurant-style menus before they begin. This helps them organize and plan in advance all of the ingredients they will need.

Watch Out for "Watch Me"

Even older pre-teens and teens can be enticed into your cooking "classes". Holidays are a good time for these trial runs. They can be encouraged to present a special dish of their own creation or help stuff a turkey, prepare caramel apples or a simple recipe for dessert. "Watch me" are two words to avoid when working with older children. Better to give generous dollops of freedom of creativity. The important thing is to help them feel at ease cooking and baking.

Party-Time Talents

Parties are the best opportunity for children to express their individual tastes and their cooking and baking talents. Make a point of reserving room for your children's ideas for family parties, picnics and barbecues. If they are having a birthday party, this is an especially great time to allow them to plan the theme, make their own invitations and menus. It's always more fun for a child to plan a party and help with the refreshments. And, kids really love to decorate. Just be sure they stick around for the clean-up afterward.

Cooking and baking in your kitchen with your children goes back to the fundamental reward of instilling teamwork, cooperation, consistency and following a project through to completion. Not to mention, creativity, planning and making the Master Chef's job a bit lighter.