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Getting kids involved in the kitchen from a young age has so many benefits. Baking together is an opportunity to create memories and bond. There is the chance to be creative, and of course to learn something new along the way. As you bake or cook together, kids are exposed to new foods, flavours and textures; learning about cooking and nutrition, where food comes from and basic cooking and baking techniques that will be with them for life. Then of course there are plenty of chances to practise reading and maths skills as they follow a recipe and measure out ingredients- and even a bit of science as they watch how a cake rises in the oven or chocolate melts in a hot pan.
The key thing to keeping it stress-free is not to put too much pressure on them or you. Children are far more likely to fall in love with cooking and making their own food from scratch if you make it fun. Things will inevitably take longer than if you were doing it yourself, there will be more mess and the finished product may not look ‘quite’ like the recipe intended. But the important thing is that you are spending time together doing something creative and learning new skills, with the added bonus of a delicious result to enjoy at the end that they will be proud to share with family and friends. So here are our tips for how, with a bit of careful planning (and a sprinkling of patience), baking with your kids can be a fun, safe and successful activity that everyone can enjoy- including you! We’ve also included a few tried and tested child-friendly baking recipes to get you started.