Some of my fondest childhood holiday memories revolve around the time I spent "helping" my mom prepare for big family get-togethers in the kitchen. I'm a big believer in teaching children the basics of how to prepare food from an early age for a number of reasons. One of the best ways for parents and older siblings to bond with young children is to spend time together engaged in enjoyable and educational tasks such as preparing holiday meals.

This year, when getting ready to prepare your family's holiday meal, try to incorporate the little ones in your household into your plans. It's a great holiday tradition that your kids are likely to remember throughout their lives.

Here are some fun and easy Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes for kids that are as easy as 1-2-3 (ingredients, that is):

Fruit Dump Cake

This is an easy dessert for kids that doesn't require complicated measurements. Mom or dad will need to deal with the oven, and may need to help out with melting the butter for preschool age children, but otherwise, the youngsters can probably handle able to handle everything else about this simple, delicious holiday dessert recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 2 20-ounce cans of your favorite fruit pie filling flavor, such as cherry, apple, peach
2. 1 standard yellow cake mix
3. 1 stick of butter

Cooking Instructions:

Dump the cans of pie filling into a 10 X 13 baking pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top of the fruit. Melt the butter, and pour on top of the cake. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Tastes great hot or cold, and is awesome with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Assuming peanut allergies aren't an issue in your home, these simple peanut butter cookies, sans flour, will delight the youngsters in your home.

This recipe requires simple measurements, and is a great way to teach kids how to use measuring cups. A grown-up will need to handle breaking the eggs and dealing with the oven, but kids will be able to handle the rest.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups crunchy peanut butter
2. 2 cups sugar
3. 2 large eggs

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Simply combine all three ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix until ingredients are completely blended. Drop spoonfuls of dough on a cookie sheet and press them down with a fork. Bake for 8-10 minutes, and enjoy!

Children and grownups alike will enjoy making and eating these super-easy dessert recipes for Thanksgiving or Christmas! The kids will be so proud to show off their own homemade recipes to the rest of the family on Thanksgiving or Christmas. What better way to start a new family tradition than with kids holiday recipes?