If you’re a working parent, making time to spend with the kids isn’t always easy. There are schedules to maintain, deadlines to meet, and extracurricular activities that keep everyone running in different directions.

 

Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day

 

This year, set aside a few hours to spend together on Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day, celebrated every year on September 13th. Not only is it fun and engaging, it can provide some much needed bonding time. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

 

Learn a New Recipe

Cooking is a great way to spend time with your kids and to teach them something new. The number of recipes is infinite, and you’re sure to find something that you all love.

Whether you decide to prepare an entire entree with side dishes and an appetizer, or opt for something simpler, you can teach invaluable skills that can be utilized later on.  Things like a simple plate of hors d’oeuvres or learning about different cooking methods would be good options. Seasoning tricks, and proper preparation methods are more skills that can be worked into your fun day.

 

Bake Something Sweet

Not in the mood to prepare an entire meal? Celebrate Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day by baking something sweet and fluffy instead. Kids love a tasty dessert, and you really can’t go wrong, no matter what you choose. Cookies, muffins, cupcakes, pies, cobblers, and the list goes on.

Before getting started, make sure to wipe down kitchen counters with safe cleaners, so as to avoid any germs or bacteria getting into your mix. You can use this time to teach the kids about germs and bacteria.

 

Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day for baking

 

Once you get started, make sure to spend at least a few minutes dining on cake frosting or batter. It might not seem like much, but this kind of fun, care free activity is something your kids will remember for years to come. Making memories matters!

 

Teach Kids Important Life Skills

Cooking is one of those activities that provides plenty of learning opportunities, too. For example, if too much or too little of an ingredient gets mixed into your cake batter, your cake isn’t going to look how the recipe intended it to. Even the slightest variation can throw off a recipe.

This can be a great way to teach your kids about being mindful and following instructions, both of which are important life skills. Paying attention doesn’t just ensure a delicious final product, it can also mean the difference between life and death in the real world. Paying attention, staying aware of our surroundings, and listening to our instincts (or in this case, the recipe) are all valuable lessons that serve our personal growth.

 

Kitchen Dance Party

Remember when you were little and you used pots, pans, and wooden spoons as though they were components to a drum set? Having the kids in the kitchen with you is a great time to relive those moments and get silly.

 

Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day to party

 

Put your favorite album on and whip out your kitchen symphony. Try getting creative and see if you can find fun ways to use a strainer or egg beater to add to the cacophony. Laugh, act like you’re leading a marching band, but most of all have fun.

Once you’re finished with your performance, wash everything with kitchen safe cleaners, and put things away. That way they’ll be ready for the next time you want to cook, or put on a makeshift concert.

 

Team Clean Up

Whatever you end up doing with your kids, you’ll inevitably have to clean up at the end of a fun and productive day. Make the cleaning process as easy as possible by having a variety of friendly safe cleaners on hand.

Wash any dishes that you’ve used while cooking or baking, and make sure that the counters, walls, and floors are all free of any food residue or sticky juices, too. Remember, if you clean up the kitchen as soon as you’re finished, you’ll have far less work to do later on.

How will you be spending Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day this year? Doing a little extra planning to ensure that it’s extra special will mean a lot to your family, and provide memories that last a lifetime. Have a blast, and enjoy spending time with the ones you love!

Recommended read: Awesome Ways to Celebrate National Kids Day.