If you've ever watched one of those commercials where a parent or grandparent is baking with a child (the ones that notoriously pop up around the holidays) you can understand the warm and fuzzy feeling they impart. Although on screen you're viewing actors getting paid to sell an appearance of closeness, the picture they're projecting is one you can easily recreate in your own home.



Baking or cooking together as a family has a number of benefits -- especially for those who don't have many opportunities for gathering together and sharing time. Consider these advantages to heading into the kitchen and readying the supplies.



1. Time spent together: How many families today are super busy, as Mom heads in one direction, Dad in another, and the kids balance school work and extracurricular activities? Preparing a meal or treat together puts everyone in the same space, and offers a no-pressure opportunity to open up about what's been going on in each other's lives.



2. Cost savings: Pre-packaged foods tend to be more expensive because of the convenience they offer. Rather than spend several dollars on a store-prepared cake, save money by easily making one at home with inexpensive ingredients that are probably already in the pantry.



3. Teach and reinforce simple math skills: Baking, more so than regular meal preparation, requires careful measurement of ingredients. Counting, sorting, measuring, and timing supports lessons younger children may be experiencing in school work -- but in a more enjoyable way. It's much easier for children to visualize concepts such as addition and subtraction or fractions when they have tangible objects to work with. They can also see how these lessons relate to everyday life.



4. Learn to work together: There's the old adage that too many cooks in the kitchen can ruin the soup. However, baking together -- and assigning individual tasks to all involved -- fosters lessons of patience, cooperation and joint effort. These are important things to understand no matter one's age.



5. Reward for hard work: The nice thing about cooking together is that the reward for all of the effort is a delicious treats when the preparation and cook times are done. Families can come up with ways to enjoy the fruits of their labor, such as game night, or inviting friends and relatives over to enjoy coffee and cake.