Family fun can entail many things, but producing delicious food in the kitchen is a popular way for adults and children to get together and let loose. Teaching kids how to follow a recipe and produce a finished meal imparts important lessons in everything from measuring to math to science. Cooking also shows kids that follow-through can lead to delicious results.

Any recipe will do when cooking with kids. However, baking desserts may be particularly enticing to youngsters who won’t want to wait to dig into a sweet treat. Plenty of things can enhance the enjoyment factor of baking for children. Families can explore these ideas to make baking more fun.

Accept the mess. Expecting baking to be a tidy process is setting yourself up for failure. Kids, particularly younger children, may not have the dexterity needed to keep everything neat and clean. Prepare for spills, flour trails on counters, poorly cracked eggs, and sticky situations. Keep a damp cloth nearby and go with the flow. Dress baking participants in clothes that can get soiled, or invest in matching aprons.

Assign age-appropriate tasks. Young kids will want to get in on the action, so figure out which tasks they can safely handle. These include measuring ingredients, mixing with a spoon, scooping batter into pans or tins, and adding chips or sprinkles to items. Adults should man electrical equipment and knives and handle tasks that involve a stove.

Let kids choose flavors and colors. Cater the recipe to the kids’ likes and tastes. They will be more likely to participate fully if the end result features flavors they enjoy.

Explore the sensory experience. Enable kids to feel the different textures of the ingredients, from the coarse sugar to the silky flour. Talk about how ingredients change in texture when they are blended together and baked. Let kids watch baking soda bubble when an acid is added to it.

Try smaller tools. Invest in a set of kid-sized baking tools, such as spoons and spatulas, to make them easier to maneuver with small hands.

Encourage creativity. Let children come up with funny names for their creations, and don’t cringe if they combine food colors or shapes that might not turn out so pretty. Be encouraging of the process and the results so kids want to continue baking in the future.

Listen to upbeat music. Music can help set the tone of the baking experience. Have children pick some of their favorite songs and let that playlist run in the background. Bounce and dance along while ingredients are being combined.