Cooking or baking with kids often takes three to four times longer than you’d expect. So, if you decide to bring your little ones into the kitchen, give yourself plenty of grace and patience. Know that whatever you’re making likely won’t be ready for immediate use—it’s more of a “for later” kind of situation. This is where having a routine or a meal-planning schedule really helps.

I’ve learned that if I’m under a time crunch, I get stressed—and my son feels it. He picks up on the fact that I want to do my own thing and not fully engage with him, and that mutual tension builds. In those moments, I’ve found it’s better to set him up with an educational show. He watches (and I can still half-listen) while I quickly prep dinner.

Other times, like when we’re baking cookies, I invite him to help. He’s a little cookie monster, so he’s super into it—curious about every ingredient going into our cookies or muffins. I let him drop ingredients into the bowl, stir with the spatula or whisk, and even smell each item to engage all his senses.

“These kitchen moments aren’t really about the food. They’re about connection, curiosity, and slowing down together.”

These activities definitely take planning—kind of like prepping a mini lesson plan. Sometimes, we even take it further with art projects: drawing or coloring cookies to tie the theme together. By connecting these ideas, we create a fun, cohesive experience for the day. These kitchen moments aren’t really about the food. They’re about connection, curiosity, and slowing down together—even when everything feels a bit chaotic. It’s rarely picture-perfect, but it’s ours. And honestly? That’s usually sweeter than the cookies.