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of course. Kids who help in the kitchen are not only helpful, having tons of fun, and learning skills like measuring and other math skills, but they’re also much more likely to try new foods if they’ve helped prepare dinner.

Here are some pint-size jobs you could assign to your 3- to 5-year-old:

◆ Wash vegetables and fruits

◆ Slice a banana with a banana slicer

◆ Roll dough with a rolling pin

◆ Sprinkle vegan cheese on top of prepared sandwiches or tortillas

◆ Cut out cookies with cookie cutters

◆ Put fruit in a juicer or ingredients in a blender

◆ Mix batter with a spoon

◆ Wash beans and legumes in a strainer

◆ Chop nuts with an enclosed chopper

◆ Bring own dishes to the sink after meals

◆ Help wash dishes or empty dishwasher

◆ Unpack groceries from bags with the rest of the family

◆ Help sweep and mop floors

◆ Wipe off placemats

Ages 6 to 9

As a child gets older, especially if she’s been your kitchen apprentice for a few years already, all those tasks listed for ages 3 to 5 will come naturally to her and she’s ready to do them on her own. Stretch her kitchen know-how with the following new skills, helping as needed:

◆ Measure ingredients with cups and spoons

◆ Juice oranges with a manual juicer

◆ Slice veggies with a zigzag slicer

◆ Shred or grate with a child-size safety shredder/grater

◆ Peel easily peeled fruits and veggies with a safety peeler

◆ Cut and spread soft foods with a butter knife

◆ Mix batter with an electric mixer

◆ Set the table

◆ Microwave basic foods (with parental help)

◆ Pour drinks from small pitchers

◆ Put away groceries in appropriate cabinets or refrigerator bins

◆ Wipe down tables and countertops

Ages 10 to 12

Now’s the time when all the prep work during the early years with your child in the kitchen pays off. In addition to all those tasks listed for ages 3 to 5 and 6 to 9, the following kitchen jobs will make your 10- to 12-year-old feel comfortable and confident enough in the kitchen to truly seem like your partner in cooking great vegan food—and even make herself simple meals on her own!

Standard safety rules apply, of course, and you need to know your child’s unique cognitive developmental and emotional responsibility level before giving permission to make something on their own in the kitchen. Some of the jobs you may want to give them license to do at this age include:

◆ Read and execute basic recipes (no stovetop or sharp knives required), such as peanut butter cookies, with little or no help

◆ Flip pancakes and French toast (with supervision)

◆ De-seed vegetables like butternut squash

◆ Empty the dishwasher

◆ Mash potatoes

◆ Open cans with a handheld can opener

◆ Cut apples with a handheld corer/slicer

◆ Microwave basic foods

◆ Pour drinks from large pitchers

◆ Help younger kids make Play-Doh and other no-bake kitchen-based arts and crafts

◆ Within reason, make new food combinations for her own breakfast, lunch, or dinner (peanut butter, jelly, and potato chip sandwich, anyone?)

The Least You Need to Know

◆ From toddler to tween, kids can safely help make family meals in some small or large ways, especially because all the uncooked meat and bacteria worries are absent in the vegan kitchen.

◆ When kids are in the kitchen, supplying the right size tools for the job is just as important as having the right tools for the job.

◆ Set up the cooking environment safely, and carefully assist your child in what she’s doing. Post a list of kitchen rules to reinforce safety.

◆ If you assign her age-appropriate tasks, you’ll watch your child build confidence and a love of vegan cooking right before your eyes!

Part 4

Let’s Eat!

Here comes the fun! In Part 4, we’ve included all the delicious vegan recipes the kids in our family—and even their nonvegan friends—have grown up loving. Find quick breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and dessert options, as well as a few more involved but definitely worth-the-time recipes.

It’s our pleasure to share with you these recipes,