Moms are often so busy that they are on the lookout for quick dinners. With schedules extra busy during the school year, eating even a simple nutritious meal at home can be a challenge. Cooking with kids can certainly slow you down but they love it so much and it is the perfect way to learn some great skills regardless of their age. In the end, the extra time it takes to have them “help” you, will come back as a gift when they are able to prep their own simple lunch or breakfast and even venture to make dinner for the family! Cooking with kids recipes are easily found on the internet, just check Pinterest for cooking with kids ideas. The cooking activities for kids you find will most certainly be on the colorful side and hopefully with skills that can be easily taught. Most kids can learn to sift, stir, measure and whisk. Depending on your child’s age and maturity level, they may end up getting a little math lesson as they learn about counting and measuring volume. The difference between solids and liquids could make cooking exciting for your science loving child. Think about how smooth a cooking show runs and do a little prep work like they do to get all the ingredients for your recipe together. Attention spans can be short and taking the time away from them to dig in the pantry for some powdered sugar, may find them wandering off to see what the dog is up to. Start with a super simple recipe . . . especially when cooking with preschoolers. Try to choose something you know they would like to eat. Baking is always fun but since hot ovens will be off limits until they are a little older, try whipping up something that doesn’t even have to be “cooked”, like oatmeal protein bars or overnight chia pudding. Set aside enough time in your schedule that they won’t feel rushed and you will be less tempted to say “let me do that for you”. Cooking with children may surprise you in that it is more fun than you thought. In fact, you may feel lonely without them in the kitchen after getting your little cook off and running. Having a sous chef right in your own home is the best part of cooking with kids!