On September 13 we celebrate National Kids Take over the Kitchen Day, a day quite literally about kids taking over the kitchen. National Kids Take over the Kitchen Day celebrates letting kids take over mealtime for the day, cooking meals while parents encourage them to explore creativity and develop culinary arts skills that can be applied later in life.

This event was created and sponsored by the YCA (Young Chefs Academy), an academy which strives to teach children the joy and value of cooking. YCA has locations across the United States to try to get kids to become invested in culinary adventures to eventually lead down to many skills later in life, while the learn that cooking can be fun to learn as well!

Celebrating National Kids Take over the Kitchen Day doesn’t have to involve making a gourmet 3-course meal, but can be celebrated by trying out a new skill, starting with something simple.

National Day Calendar recommends some simple recipes to try, such as a simple a dinner of Herbed Chicken Nuggets or an easy desert of Yogurt Sundaes to impress the family.

If taking over the kitchen seems like too much of a task, having kids help parents prepare dinner or watch them prepare the next meal can slowly aid them in gaining the skills necessary to cook the main dish at the family gathering, or impress friends with a tasty snack.

Learning how to cook doesn’t just make you better at providing for yourself and others, but it can also promote healthier eating. Learning how to make your own meals for dinner time is better than going out for fast food every night, even if cooking is something you do twice a week. Even better, cooking for those around you and sharing a meal is a great way to strengthen bonds and is a chance to communicate with others and learn about them.