More and more children are asking to get in on the action in the kitchen. Although peeling carrots and boiling water may seem like a chore, to mini me this is culinary playground and where can they fit in. To help you thrive rather than survive, Mini Chef has outlined an action plan for cooking with kids.

How? First and foremost, teach kitchen hygiene. While this may seem evident, wash hands and clean the counter space with your child because this is a great opportunity to talk about yucky germs. Gross but true, if your child doesn’t know why you’re cleaning they don’t have a reason to do it when you’re not there. Let’s face it, toddlers cough and sneeze on each other and in their food so teaching this lesson early is worth the crying, sleepless nights when mini me gets sick.

Where? Thinking about kitchen safety might mean “Get away from the stove, NOW” but, there is actually a place to cook with your kids without wincing. With children two to six years old, we prefer to cook at a countertop or dining table. There is really no reason to be at the oven explaining braising to a toddler when their objective is to use the spatula on their own. Dust off the mixing bowls, measuring cups, spoons and ingredients; you can make more than you think before you break a sweat at the stove. There is prep involved in nearly everything you make, and it’s the time mixing, measuring, and creating that mini me adores.

When? Just as you have told your child to practice patience, we as adults need to find some too when it comes to food. Cooking takes time, whether you buy frozen dinners or make it from scratch; it takes time to prepare food. Don’t fret, this doesn’t mean more work for you. If you can carve out an hour to cook this will not only be a great mommy & me activity but also give you enough time to make a variety of meals, desserts and snacks. You have to prepare dinner anyway, so get cooking! (Plus, you’re saving; ordering in for a family of four can cost the same amount as making dinner for your family for a week.)

Why? It’s impossible to measure the value of spending time with your child and what better way than to whip up some love and food. Cooking is a true opportunity for quality time and bonding. You can get so much more mileage out of the question “How was your day at school?” when mini me is rolling out the dough. Aside from the emotional benefits, the external benefits are enormous too. You can practice fine motor skills, vocabulary, counting, sharing and communication all while you’re making the quiche du jour.

What? Cookbooks upon cookbooks, we love them but, information overload. Here is our kid tested and approved dough recipe that can be used for a variety of foods. In a mixing bowl, mix one tablespoon of dry yeast with 3/4 cup warm water and let rest for 10 minutes. In a separate mixing bowl add 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar; stir. In the flour bowl, make a hole or well in the center to pour in wet ingredients. Using your hands, begin the kneading process of mixing the ingredients until they form a large dough ball, then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat the dough. By now, mini me should be up to her eyeballs in dough and cheering with delight - we never said it wasn’t going to be messy. Let the dough rise one hour under a plastic wrap and knead again. (Add a little more water or flour depending on how sticky or dry the dough is.) Pull off meatball sized portions and have fun shaping the dough into triangle pizzas, letter shaped pretzels, or bread animals. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake your mini chef’s masterpiece for 15 minutes.

So, put away that Easy Bake oven because you’ve got your action plan and mini me to help with dinner tonight. What better ways to bond, have fun, learn and feed the family. With our children’s yearning to be near us and touch everything that’s not a toy, are we really surprised that mini me might actually make a pretty good, sous chef with an opinion to share?