If you have a passion for cooking and you’d like to expose your children to the activity that brings you so much joy, the main rule to remember is KIS-MIF – Keep it Simple; Make it Fun. You will pique their curiosity, spark their creativity and keep their attention most effectively by focusing on simple recipes that let them participate in every aspect of cooking. Time in the kitchen with a parent will teach a child learn proper cooking techniques, help them grow up to cook healthy, nutritious meals and most of all, have fun.

One of the best ways to stimulate children’s interest in getting in the kitchen is to view free cooking videos together on the Internet. Beyond being a vast resource for cooks of all ages and levels, the Internet offers much in the way of unique ideas and free demonstration videos, as well as downloadable podcasts and kid-friendly recipes.

Taking a cue from a cooking video or simply looking to the family’s favorite dishes, propose preparing a simple dish together with your child. You might consider starting out with a convenience packaged meal. It can be an easy way to introduce children to various aspects of the cooking process because the directions will be simple and ingredients will be limited. Once these basic tasks have been mastered, you can graduate to teaching higher level skills and recipes.

Children of all ages can take a role in cooking. Young children can perform tasks like washing fruit, tearing lettuce for a salad and kneading dough. Older children can beat eggs, measure ingredients and stir sauces. Let them do it all by themselves. Gradually introduce more complicated skills, like slicing meat, peeling potatoes and grating cheese. Clean-up time is a good opportunity to teach children about seeing a project through from beginning to end.

Beyond food preparation, cooking offers other important lessons. Baking, for instance, is an opportunity to teach your child about arithmetic. Learning about measurements and calculating the quantities of ingredients necessary to make a recipe can reinforce your child’s learning and add real-world application to what they’ve been taught in school.

Making meals that come from different cultures is a unique way to teach your children about the world. Use a recipe for tacos as an opportunity to talk about how people live in Mexico or one for a hearty Moussaka you discovered on a trip to Greece. The preparation of ethnic recipes can lead to acquiring new tastes and to greater cultural understanding.

Bringing your children into the kitchen is like bringing them into a classroom filled with a multitude of fun learning opportunities to develop food preparation skills as well as valuable life skills. Time spent between a parent and child watching cooking videos or seeking out interesting recipes and then using them as a springboard to create delicious meals together is time well spent. Besides, kids love to get their hands messy with their food. Why not let them?