“What’s for dinner?” If you’ve ever asked that question, you were probably speaking to an adult. But experts say there are plenty of good reasons for kids to learn how to cook.

Becca Cooper Leebove knows this firsthand. Five years ago, she began teaching her kids, then ages 3 and 8, some simple cooking skills. They started by pouring ingredients into a bowl and rolling out dough. Today, they’re chopping and sauteing.

“My…goal has always been family time—something to do together that’s engaging, but also important to get them off their phones or iPads,” Leebove told the Associated Press.

Making a meal also teaches kids what experts call “food skills.” These include planning the meal, grocery shopping, reading food labels, and preparing the meal. By cooking, kids learn to follow a recipe, measure ingredients, and manage their time. All these skills will come in handy later, when kids grow up and have their own households.

There’s also some evidence that when kids help to cook a meal, they’re more likely to eat ingredients they’d normally reject. Some kids refuse to even try certain vegetables. But picky eaters might be more willing to taste the vegetables that they chopped and cooked.

That could tie in with another advantage to cooking from scratch: Studies show a link between cooking and healthier eating habits.

For all these reasons, kids’ cooking classes are widely available, including at many public libraries.

Jessica Battilana is a staff editor at King Arthur Baking Company, where both kids and adults can take cooking classes. She suggests that kids start by preparing simple dishes, like scrambled eggs, and gradually try more challenging recipes. Good cooking doesn’t have to be fancy.

“[Kids are] capable of a lot, and usually pretty eager to try new foods—especially if they’ve had a hand in making them,” Battilana told the Associated Press.