Another fun idea for cooking with your kids is to pick a different food and plan an evening around it. Once again, start slow. Pick a food that you are familiar with but prepare it in an unconventional way. This is the time to dust off those recipes that you have saved because they looked interesting. Once you are comfortable, branch off into things you have never had. Introduce your child to jicama, lamb or persimmons.

Once you and your child have explored a variety of foods and cuisines, it is time to cut the apron strings so to speak. Let your child plan and prepare an entire meal. Your level of participation will depend on the age of your child, but let them do as much of the menu planning, grocery shopping and food preparation as is feasible, with you as the willing accomplice. Even by doing this once a month you are providing your child with wonderful time with a parent, not to mention life-long skills that will make your child the envy of all the others when they hit college and can feed themselves (and others).The key to cooking with children is to be prepared, make sure (from the start) that your child realizes that clean up is part of the job, and be patient. Yes, there will be times when it is easier to do things yourself, but by allowing your child to take control you a gift that is not easily replaced.