Nothing is more rewarding than passing on the joy of baking to a child. Kids find the opportunity to pinch, pat and even taste the dough simply irresistible. And it's always fun to lick the beaters - best baking treat there is! So invite a little one into the kitchen and turn baking into kids play!

A good baking project to start with is cupcakes. Who can resist a cupcake?

• First, get them prepared and excited with anticipation. Let your child know that this is going to be great fun by giving them a chef's hat or apron to wear. It also helps it they have just the right tools all ready to use. Brighten the experience with the Kid's Cupcake Kit. They will have their own tools and apron - how fun!

• Read through your recipe and state what you need - muffin pan, mixing spoon, measuring cups and so on. Get each one out and show your child what they look like. Then you can do the same type of instruction with the ingredients.

• Let your child help you by measuring dry ingredients when possible and pouring liquid ingredients into mixing bowl. If you are mixing by hand - they can help - otherwise if you need to use an electric mixer, suggest that they watch until they are a little older.

• Certainly let them put the paper baking liners in the muffin pan, and add batter to the cups. A muffin measuring spoon may help them get "most" of the batter into the cavities. So what if things get a little messy? They can learn the lesson about cleaning up. Try silicone baking cups with feet! For the creative baker, these fun reusable cups can become animals or monsters or walking faces. And the feet won't melt in the oven on the Silly Feet baking cups.

• After the cupcakes have baked and cooled - it's time for more fun. Frost with a spatula or put frosting in a zipped bag, snip off the corner and squeeze. (Disposable decorating bags work great too!) Children like to make patterns while decorating. Top with sprinkles, sanding sugars, candy decorations, etc.

Now the exciting part - sharing all these cupcakes with the rest of family. See that big smile - baking is fun!

Cookies are a another wonderful way to brighten the day of a child - regardless of their age. Encourage your child's artistic ability by letting them paint on cookies! Keep them busy for hours with edible food colored pens. Iced cookies make an excellent surface for painting or drawing. Mix and freeze your cookie dough ahead of time and then, when the artist wants to create, their 'canvas' is ready! Get prepared by rolling dough into logs and refrigerating overnight. The next day, slice and freeze separately by putting them (in a single layer) on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. Pack in airtight containers and place in the freezer and bake as needed. Bake according to recipe. And let your little (or big) artist do the rest!

The kitchen is a wonderful place for the adult and child to spend quality time together. Regardless of what you'll be baking in your kitchen this fall, it's sure to be a lot more memorable if you invite a child to experience the joy along side of you. Share the magic of creativity in the kitchen with a youngster today!