Kitchen Time.

When is a good time to be in the kitchen?
A quiet (Sunday) afternoon when things are more simple and there's no hurry to get things done always works for me. I try hard to keep my baking and savory food spices and the likes separate from each other so they are easier to find and pull out at a moments notice. A plan of some sort is always good. Making muffins or cookies is a great way to invite your youngster but today we'll make pizza.
When I want to keep things simple and work on other techniques, like cutting, I'll buy purchased dough from my local Trader Joe's. Creating a big area to roll the dough out and with bowls ready to hold the pizza toppings we're in for a smooth cooking lesson. Creating pizza allows kids to be creative with what they put onto the dough but it also offers you as a parent, an opportunity to talk about new foods. Perhaps something like artichokes or peppers. Almost all foods taste great with some cheese over it!! With the usual pizza ingredients just choose something new. And remember that when we parents don't like something we must be careful of how we present that ingredient. A sure fire way to turn your child off to something you don't like is to tell them "you don't like it." It's really best if our child(ren) can make up their own minds.
Each time your child(ren) is invited to help go one step further with a kitchen or cooking technique.Have fun,keep it light,talk to them about themselves and what's going on in their lives.
And don't forget a very important tip to teach them... to clean as you go. This puts them on the right track and certainly helps you out as well.
Happy cooking!!