It's Ok to Make a Mess! - Have Fun Baking with your Kids!

My children love double chocolate chip cookies and what better way to have it whenever they want it than by baking the cookies themselves!

Baking with very young children will surely be messy but the joy that is derived from this family activity outweighs the pain of cleaning up.

Baking is also a creative and fun way to develop our children's basic skills.

When Ezekiel was six years old, it enhanced his reading, comprehension and vocabulary skills through reading the recipes. He also learned the mathematical concepts of weight and volume by measuring the ingredients.

Gabriel at four years old practiced his motor skills by pouring the ingredients on the mixing bowl without spilling while having fun stirring endlessly, and then licking the beater, his favorite part of baking!

Niel at nine years old, was assigned the overall project manager. He saw to it that the recipe was followed properly with correct measurements. He had to ensure that the oven temperature and baking time were right or the cookies would not have turned out as they expected them to be.

This taught them the virtue of patience as they waited for the cookie dough to bake, while savoring the delicious aroma that fills the kitchen. After that they had to drool for a few more minutes as they watched those mouth-watering cookies cool on the rack before they could sink their teeth in them.

And what joy to behold their happy faces as they munch on the fruits of their own labor!

Altogether, they learned the value of teamwork and having fun while working.

Children get excited when they are given responsibilities appropriate to their age.

Do not worry too much about the mess, just enjoy and maintain a good sense of humor in between beating and baking.

I used to spread newspapers on the table to catch all those bits and spills so that cleaning will be a breeze when I wrap them all together afterwards.

Most importantly, teach your children about safety measures in the kitchen to prevent any danger from happening, by using oven gloves when handling baking trays from the oven, and turning off the oven after use.

Now that my children have grown, it's so nice to look back at old photographs to cherish and reminisce those old times when we baked their favorite comfort food together.

I'm glad we invested a great deal of time to build lasting and fun filled memories and share special moments that we now treasure, which act like cement to greater strengthen our family.