Serving Mom breakfast in bed is one of the most classic Mother's Day activities that can involve the whole family. Finally, she gets to relax and let someone else take on the caregiver role for a bit! It's such a sign of love and appreciation for what she does regularly. Ree Drummond's favorite memories include her kids making breakfast for her each year: "This kind of occasion isn’t about elaborate food… it's about the sweet, sweet gesture."
Of course, it helps when the food is easy to make for little hands (which means hopefully a little more edible, too 😂). So, it's best to start with easy Mother’s Day treats kids can make for Mom that aren't super complicated. With a bit of adult supervision, the recipes listed here are easy enough for the kids to lend a hand, and the end results will fill Mom with joy and a delicious meal. There's everything from make-ahead breakfast casseroles that the kids can help layer to lots of fun ways to use a can of store-bought biscuits.
While most of the recipes here are geared toward a Mother's Day brunch menu, there are a few desserts that will be such a sweet way to celebrate her big day. There are even a few no-bake ideas, so you don’t even have to turn on the oven, like a towering cookie cake. No matter what you decide to help them make, just remember to tell the kids that washing the dishes afterward is the most important part of the recipe. Mom will appreciate that most of all!
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Yogurt Parfait
Caitlin Bensel
A layered parfait is a pretty (and easy!) way to serve yogurt, fruit, and granola. You can make the granola from scratch or just buy it from the store and then let the little hands layer away.
This decadent idea can be served for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. It starts with store-bought doughnuts, which the kids can chop with a butter knife or just rip into pieces with their hands.
While individual pancakes might be more traditional, a big baked pancake will be way easier and just as tasty. Let the kids have fun with all the topping ideas like fruit, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts.
They don’t even have to bake to make these cakes! All they need is a store-bought pound cake loaf, a filling like jam, lemon curd, or Nutella, and whipped topping to frost them. They’ll have so much fun assembling!
Another easy hack that yields an impressive result is laying store-bought chocolate chip cookies with a sweetened cream cheese filling. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill!
Monkey bread is one of the most kid-friendly recipes you'll find, and this twist is just as fun. Chunks of canned biscuit dough are tossed in a bag full of cinnamon and sugar and then assembled easily into little piles.
Make life easier by skipping the complicated crust. The kids will have so much fun whisking and layering this version full of eggs, sausage, hash browns, veggies, and cheese—no rolling pin required.
Who knew two ingredients could make such an impact? All you need are strawberries and butter whizzed in a food processor. Well, okay, the kids can help make the toast, too.
Hello, dessert for breakfast! This couldn't be easier to assemble either. Just mix everything in a bowl, pour it into a baking dish, and pop it in the oven! Then serve with whipped cream and berries.
You'll find eggs, hash browns, sausage, and cheese all in this easy make-ahead dish. The kids can help sling it all in a slow cooker and let the machine do the rest.
If they want to bake fresh cookies, make everyone's life easier by starting with a box of cake mix. All you have to do is add butter, eggs, cinnamon and sprinkles. Then scoop, bake, cool, and serve!
Comfort food at its finest (and easiest). Let the kids layer canned biscuits in a casserole dish while you make the gravy and then you can assemble it together.
If the kids are ready to try their hands at a slightly more complicated recipe, muffins are a great place to start. You don't need a mixer, just a little elbow grease.
Wait, you can make fresh doughnuts in an air fryer? Yes! And because they start with canned biscuits, you don't have to worry about the kids messing up the dough.
It is totally possible for kids to make a cake from scratch. This one is made right in the pan, so no mixer or extra bowls are needed. That way, they can just concentrate on learning how to measure out ingredients.
Kids might not understand how fancy avocado toast can seem to adults. To them, they just get to squish something with a fork for fun and then spread it on toast.
Cinnamon rolls can be complicated to make. But if you start with a few tubes of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough and a couple pantry staples, the kids can totally make the casserole version.