Can you do a cooking class with kids?

A cooking class with kids is one of my favourite family recommendations, because it ticks every box: it's hands-on, it's indoors and weatherproof, it teaches them something real, and it ends with them eating a meal they're proud of. Lots of Moroccan cooking schools and riads run family-friendly or even kid-focused classes, and children take to it brilliantly — there's flour, there's dough to squish, there's a clay tagine to fill, and nobody minds a bit of mess. It often converts a fussy eater into an adventurous one, too.

The best classes start with a trip to the souk or market to choose the ingredients — and for kids this is half the fun. They get to see the towering spice mounds, the olives and preserved lemons, the heaps of fresh vegetables, smell everything and pick the produce. Back in the kitchen, the tasks are wonderfully tactile and age-appropriate: rolling and steaming couscous by hand, kneading and shaping the round khobz bread, layering vegetables and meat into a tagine, threading skewers, and squeezing oranges for juice. Even small children can roll a msemen pancake or sprinkle cinnamon.

A few tips to make it land. Book a private family class rather than joining a group of adults — it lets the teacher pitch everything to the children's level and pace, and you can pause when little ones flag. Keep it to about two to three hours; that's the sweet spot before small attention spans wander. Pick a class that includes the market visit if your kids are old enough to enjoy it, and ask in advance for child-friendly dishes (a mild chicken tagine, couscous and a simple dessert or pancakes are perfect). Morning classes that finish with lunch work best, so hungry kids are rewarded right away.

There's a lovely cultural dimension, too. Cooking together is a warm, hospitable corner of Moroccan life, and the teachers — often women cooking the recipes of their mothers and grandmothers — tend to be patient, kind and brilliant with children. Kids come away having learned to make something they can recreate at home, with a little certificate or recipe card from some schools, and a memory of a fun morning rather than "another sightseeing thing." It's educational without feeling like it.

My honest verdict: yes, do a cooking class with the kids — it's engaging, mess-friendly, weatherproof and delicious, and it deepens their connection to the trip. Choose a private, family-paced class with a market visit, keep it short, brief them on mild dishes, and you'll have one of the most memorable mornings of your holiday. We build family cooking experiences into itineraries regularly; just tell us the children's ages.