Every mom that cooks knows how much effort goes into feeding a family. Cooking can be very rewarding, but a lot of moms who spend hours preparing a meal may feel disheartened if they only see their kids during their dinner. Finding fun ways to get your kids to cook with you can enrich your own cooking experience (especially if you’re a mom who doesn’t love cooking), and it can transform your hard work into a lifelong family tradition.

Here’s a few ways how to get started:

Find Fun Recipes

Take Them to the Grocery Store

Going on errands doesn’t have to be a chore – make it really exciting by letting your kids steer the cart and pick out ingredients. You can both decide on a dish or let them explore the store and surprise you. Make a game out of it by giving your kids coupons clippings and telling them to find the items. This can transform the grocery store from boring to magical. Allowing kids to pick out ingredients gives them the feeling of responsibility. It makes your kids feel like they’re part of a team.

Take the Time to Taste Everything

When you finally start cooking, walk your kids through each step so they understand how the whole process works. Assign simple tasks to them like stirring or age-appropriate slicing so they’re not just watching you. And most importantly: taste everything! Give them small portions of each ingredient to learn about each aspect of the dish. They’ll be amazed by all of the components that go into the final product!

Play Dress-Up

Depending on their age, your kids might really enjoy imagining they’re chefs in a restaurant. Have Dad play a customer and each kid take turns as the waiters. Let them wear aprons so that they look the part. You might even want to invest in chef hats to make it more fun.

Don’t Focus on How It Turns Out

Take the pressure off yourself to make a five-star meal and instead let your kids guide you towards something unexpected. Let them learn about the cooking process by trial and error. If they forget an ingredient, overcook, or think something could use a little more flavor, always encourage them to try again! It shows your kids the importance of hard work, and it will help them realize all of the effort you put into their meals when they’re not in the kitchen.

The Younger the Better

The earlier you make cooking a shared activity, the more attached your kids might become to it. Rather than expecting to be fed, they’ll have to ability to feed themselves. As they get older, your kids might want to advance their recipes, and this might require purchasing some new gadgets. Sites such as Dream Kitchen Solutions will list the most efficient and easily used items such as food processors, mixers, and pasta makers. By starting earlier, kids have more time to develop their skills along with their growing tastes.

These easy strategies are great ways to get your kids out of their bedrooms and thinking creatively. By brainstorming recipes and letting your kids make a meal from scratch, cooking can become a rewarding experience rather than just a part of your day – and who knows? Maybe one day your kids will thank you by making your favorite recipe.