Holidays & Occasions Mother's Day The Easiest Mother's Day Recipes for Kids To Make By Lisa Cericola Lisa Cericola Lisa Cericola has been on staff at Southern Living since 2015. As Deputy Editor, Lisa manages the food and travel departments and edits those sections of each issue, as well as digital content. Previously, she was the features editor at Food Network Magazine and has more than 15 years of experience writing, editing, and managing photo shoots for print and digital lifestyle brands. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos This Mother's Day, skip all the online shopping and let the kids make extra special gifts right in the kitchen. No matter their skill level, we've gathered recipes that are easy to whip up (with adult assistance) and will make them—and Mom—beam with pride. Just make sure she isn't left with a sink full of dirty dishes! To keep things easy and achievable, we've assigned a skill level to every recipe. Follow this key to set kids up for successfully treating Mom to a special Mother's Day morning. For the Kitchen-CuriousIf your child's time in the kitchen is mostly spent banging on pots and pans and poking around in cabinets, spark an interest in cooking with a simple dump-and-stir recipe that they can "help" make. This is a great opportunity to let young kids handle safe cooking utensils like spoons and spatulas, taste and smell ingredients, and watch how those ingredients change when you combine them. For Helpful AssistantsIf you already have dedicated helpers who love stirring, measuring, and taste testing, let them take the lead a bit more with these simple recipes. While you'll still need to supervise and handle certain tasks (like chopping, and operating small appliances, the oven, or stovetop), these dishes have steps they'll probably be able to do on their own. And they allow for some creative freedom too. For Budding ChefsIf your child takes over the kitchen on a regular basis, making something for Mother's Day is probably no sweat. These recipes are great for older kids who have experience cooking, can read recipes, and can be trusted to cook with minimal supervision. 01 of 15 Easy Homemade Pancakes Tjahjono Soekardjk Recipe: Easy Homemade Pancakes Skill Level: For the Kitchen-Curious Let's skip the box this time and give Mom the homemade treatment. This recipe is a blank canvas, so make them extra special by adding in bananas, blueberries, or even a few chocolate chips. 02 of 15 Lemon Muffins IAIN BAGWELL Recipe: Lemon Muffins Skill Level: For the Kitchen-Curious You can't go wrong with fresh Lemon Muffins. They come together in one bowl and only require a handful of ingredient that you probably already have on hand. 03 of 15 Baked Oatmeal Jennifer Causey Recipe: Baked Oatmeal Skill Level: For the Kitchen Curious It's basically an oatmeal cookie in casserole form. Yes, it's as good as it sounds. 04 of 15 Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe: Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Skill Level: For the Kitchen Curious This is the ideal first cookie recipe for kids. It only calls on four ingredients to make a batch of 30 soft and chewy treats. 05 of 15 Strawberry-Banana-Peanut Butter Smoothies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Strawberry-Banana-Peanut Butter Smoothies Skill Level: For the Kitchen Curious If Mom is a fan of a light breakfast, we can think of no better recipe than our Strawberry-Banana-Peanut Butter Smoothies. Just don't skimp on the PB. 06 of 15 Brown Sugar-Banana Muffins Recipe: Brown Sugar-Banana Muffins Skill Level: For Helpful Assistants Ripe bananas will bring the sweetest flavor, but try to avoid letting them over-ripen as it could change the consistency of the batter. 07 of 15 Oven-Baked Buttermilk French Toast Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Oven-Baked Buttermilk French Toast Skill Level: For Helpful Assistants Don't forget to account for an hour of sit time to allow the flavors to meld. It's the perfect opportunity to let Mom sleep in. 08 of 15 Fresh Fruit Salad Jen Causey Recipe: Fresh Fruit Salad Skill Level: For Helpful Assistants We kicked up the flavor of an already-delicious rainbow of fruits by topping with a juice and honey mixture. 09 of 15 Fresh Strawberry Milkshake Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Milkshake Skill Level: For Helpful Assistants A milkshake for breakfast? Mom won't mind one bit. 10 of 15 Southern-Style Lemonade Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Southern-Style Lemonade Skill Level: For Helpful Assistants We found the secret to perfectly smooth lemonade: simple syrup. Use this recipe as a base and customize to make it as sweet or as tangy as Mom prefers. 11 of 15 Bacon Pancakes Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Bacon Pancakes Skill Level: For Budding Chefs We're going to let you in on a tasty secret and it's topping cooked bacon with pancake mix. We call them Bacon Pancakes, and Mom is going to be a major fan. 12 of 15 Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Sausage-Hash Brown Casserole Skill Level: For Budding Chefs If Mom's palette skews more savory than sweet, consider this the perfect Mother's Day breakfast recipe. 13 of 15 Strawberry Biscuits Photo: Greg Dupree Recipe: Strawberry Biscuits Skill Level: For Budding Chefs The easiest way to ensure moist biscuits is a little heavy cream. Mix in some strawberries and you have the strawberries-and-cream riff Mom has always dreamed of. 14 of 15 Wacky Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Wacky Cake Skill Level: For Budding Chefs You've never met an easier cake. This batter is mixed up directly in the pan, making it the one-dish-wonder the dessert course always needed. 15 of 15 Strawberry Icebox Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Strawberry Icebox Cake Skill Level: For Budding Chefs You didn't know a no-bake cake was possible? Let us introduce you to the mile-high cake that will wow Mom at hello. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit