Written by Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood.

I grew up in the kitchen. My mother cooked and baked all the time, and therefore my siblings and I did, too. I remember the excitement I felt one night when I was around nine years old and I was allowed to create my own dinner. While my rice, green pea and fish stick creation might not have been gourmet, it did show my comfort in the kitchen, and my desire to learn and create. What I didn’t know at the time, though, was that I was learning a lot more than what things tasted good together. (At least to me…!)

Now that I am a mother, I am seeing just how much there is to learn in the kitchen. True, my oldest is only two years old, but that doesn’t mean that she is too young to learn. The basic skills she is learning now will serve as building blocks for her as she grows, both in school and in the world.

So what are kids learning in the kitchen, other than how to make yummy food? Well, here are just a few of the lessons, life skills and habits you and your children can learn, all while having fun in the kitchen.

Written by Shelley of C Mom Cook

Ah, the holidays. Time for families to come together and celebrate, practice generations-old traditions and create new ones.

It can also be a difficult time, with children of all ages home from school and winding up under foot, looking for ways to stay busy and be involved in all of the holiday preparations.

Rather than shooing the kids out of the kitchen, the holidays are a perfect time to have them pull up a chair, bench or stool and have them jump right in, literally, with both hands. The benefits of involving children in food preparation have been enumerated time and time again, and it is never too early to get started. Though often hectic, the holidays are the perfect time to give it a try, since the kitchen is usually the hub of activity in so many homes during this time of year.

Written by Molly of Molly Loves Paris

The idea for writing about teaching children to cook came from Corey, daughter #3, who works for a housewares store that sells a great deal of cooking equipment and she is very aware of how ignorant many cooks can be. She is also known as the clerk with the answers. And if she doesn’t know the answer she calls her Mom.