It's Murphy's Law, you know: when you have all the time in the world, and would love to start a kitchen cooking project with your children, they're too busy for you.

But when you're busy and trying to get a lot done quickly, THAT is when your kids will want to come help.

And we WANT our children to help; we really do! But sometimes you're not sure what they're capable of doing with you, and where you should intervene. And the sad part is, there is no official guide to let you know! Every child develops coordination, maturity and skills at their own pace, so the only way to find out is to carefully proceed, and see what happens.

If you'd like to try some easy tasks first, here are some beginner jobs that (with supervision) you can try with your child and see how they go.

Pasta:
Measure butter, flour and milk
Grate Cheese
Cut basil, chives and pepperoni into strips with kitchen shears

Chicken:
Spray jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray
Peel large chunk of ginger with spoon, then grate
Trim beans with shears
Grate lemon peel, and juice lemon

Tacos:
Drain and rinse beans
Measure barbecue sauce, spices, salsa, raisins and sour cream
Fill and roll tortillas
Pull meat from room-temperature rotisserie chicken
Transfer cooked turkey to bowl with slotted spoon
Microwave tortillas

Burgers:
Measure ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and soy sauce
Shape burgers
Grate lime peel, juice limes
Grate cheese
Toast buns

Pizza:
Grease pan and pat dough into pan.
Measure carrots, sauce and cheese
Spread ingredients on dough
Sprinkle cheese on top after grating
Cut basil with shears

Dessert:
Remove stickers and rinse fruit
Grease pan; mix and spread batter in pan
Mix ingredients with clean hands
Sprinkle toppings, chips and nuts
Peel apples
Crack eggs
Measure fruit, sugar, cornstarch, flour, cocoa, cinnamon, butter and baking powder
Cut brownies with a table knife.

Published 03/06/09