Create mealtime magic by making meals fun for kids

(ARA) - Cooking a meal should be fun for both children and adults. By engaging your children in food preparation, you can demonstrate valuable food lessons all while enjoying time well spent with your family.

By including everyone in the preparation, you can introduce your children to how fun cooking and eating together can be. Not only will they learn a little bit about navigating the kitchen, but they will also discover how it can serve as the perfect platform for a math lesson or an art project.

Here are a few tips for making your family meals fun and child-friendly:

• Get your kids involved in cooking preparation from an early age. Your little ones will get a kick out of doing something as simple as dumping a cup of flour into a mixer and watching you use everyday kitchen tools. You can also use the measurements that go into recipes as a teaching opportunity for your child with a built-in math lesson. Children can also lend a hand by setting the table or designing placemats for the family meal.
  
  
• Make food fun. Keep your kids engaged by experimenting with different colors, shapes, and sizes of foods they know. For example, Barilla Piccolini bite-size classic pasta shapes are just the right size for little hands - and with a quick cook time of just seven minutes, you can add excitement to favorite family pasta dishes. Children can even make inexpensive and unique decorations using the pasta.
  
  
• Create excitement for dinnertime. A great way to make sure kids look forward to mealtimes is to participate in fun activities as a family. Theme nights are a great way to engage children around the dinner table. You can prepare traditional meals from around the world, or cook a meal inspired by your family's favorite movie or vacation spot. Visit www.BarillaUS.com for lots of great kid-friendly recipes using Barilla Piccolini.