Its pleasures are not lost on our children, who immediately appreciate the process of transforming ingredients. They enjoy the assembling, measuring, and chopping tasks that require their deepest concentration, and they like projects that have a beginning (preparation), a middle (messy fun), and an end (happy diners around the table).

If a first attempt at a recipe is a flop, it can be hilarious, but it's never a disaster. When the kids succeed, it's an occasion for feeling very good about themselves.

No chef could be prouder than my young friend Kate, who began perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe--now a legendary weakness of the adults in her neighborhood--when she was just ten.

Getting your child to feel competent at cooking pays off for everyone. Begin by inviting him or her into the kitchen during an unrushed moment, when there is time to instruct and share responsibilities.

Next, determine your child's ability level from the categories that follow. (A child's cooking level is mostly a matter of experience and personality.) Choose a recipe you will both enjoy, then start off with lots of supervision and fun.

Rebecca Lazear Okrent, a regular contributor to FAMILYFUN MAGAZINE, has been cooking ever more edible meals since the age of three.