When it comes to getting kids cooking in the kitchen, we know how tempting it is to just delegate them to washing up! Here we're rounding up a couple of our favourite recipes to try out with children and get them interested in cooking. Besides all the delicious things they'll hopefully be cooking up, they'll improve coordination, ability to follow instructions, skills with numbers, and more.

 Start small

Depending on the age of your children, there are plenty of ways to get them involved in the cooking process with small tasks to keep them involved. Think picking herbs, stirring pots, and weighing ingredients. Developing a keen interest in identifying ingredients will encourage children to engage with where their food comes from and how it grows. Smelling, touching, and ultimately trying lots of ingredients can help develop an adventurous taster too. 

No-baking sweet treats

No-bake recipes are a brilliant way to get your children baking some easy recipes without involving the oven.

If you're feeling seasonal, give these Easter nests a try with chocolate and mini eggs. This 'no-bake' fudge recipe is a speedy (and not too messy) way to get your children cooking something themselves.

When you're ready to move to baking, our flapjacks are a step-up without too much effort, and are a really scrumptious snack.

Try something you know they like

We're yet to meet children who don't like pizza, so what better way to start than giving homemade pizzas a go. Whilst it will need a lot more supervising than some other recipes, rolling out the dough (before grown-ups take over!) and spreading the sauce and toppings is a brilliant way for kids to feel really involved in making their pizzas, and it's fun! Take a look at the BBC child-friendly recipe here.

Safety in the kitchen

We all know how crucial it is to ensure children are aware of safety in the kitchen. If you have the time to cook with your children, try to allow plenty of time to cover preparation and safety, covering tying hair back and washing hands to not using knives without supervision. There are some brilliant videos like this one here to show your kids before you get cooking. 

Learn by failing

We all remember our failed recipes so very fondly for all the awful flavours they created. Enjoy the mistakes too- because they become the memories!