There are so many benefits to baking with kids. Besides the fact that being able to prepare food is a life skill that everyone should know before they become an adult, baking builds math skills, reading skills, and fine motor skills.
It's also a wonderful way to bond with family members. I have special memories of making Mexican tea cakes and other cookies with my mother at Christmastime, in addition to memories of cooking and baking with my own children over the years.
And, of course, since you're baking, the end result is always a treat!
Here are 6 easy tips to make baking with your kids go more smoothly.
Allow way more time than you think you'll need
I don't know about you, but my worst moments as a parent (and maybe just a person in general) is when I feel a time crunch. I panic, I snap at people, I drop things, I make mistakes.
When you working with little kids, things always take longer than they should. They ask questions. They make mistakes. They get distracted and start talking about other things. They have to stop and go to the bathroom.
If you're trying to get everything done by a certain time, all these things are going to irritate you. But if you planned it so you have all the time in the world to add some eggs and oil to a muffin mix, then you'll take it all in stride.
Expect a mess
Simarly, if you go into this adventure assuming that things will get spilled and flour will get everywhere, you'll save yourself a lot of frustration. When you allowing yourself extra time, allow even more time for cleaning up the mess afterward. Have the kids help with clean-up as well, but try to keep it upbeat and fun, rather than an annoyance or a punishment for being messy.
Experiment with "food art"
Why not bring in an extra element and have your kitchen projects be artistic?
One obvious idea is to decorate sugar cookies with sprinkles, colored gel, and icing. But it doesn't necessarily need to be so sugar-y.
One activity my girls and I loved when they were preschoolers was making "Banana Trees." Put a pineapple ring on a plate, then cut a banana in half and stand it up in the center of the ring. Use toothpicks, berries, and melon chunks to decorate the banana. Fun, colorful, healthy, and delicious!
You can do all kinds of artistic things with a slice of bread, cookie cutters, peanut butter, pretzel sticks, sliced bananas, and raisins. In fact, if you want to be kind of lazy and call it a creative exercise for your kids (which it is), just set out those ingredients and see what imaginative things they come up with!
Create a "snacking bowl"
Instead of trying to stop your child from constantly nibbling at the chocolate chips, M&Ms, or licorice pieces needed for your recipe, create a little bowl of those tiny treats just for them to snack on.
Modify tasks to make them easier
If you're working with very young children, don't expect them to prepare a recipe the same way you would. When my girls were little, I would measure the ingredient, then allow the girls to actually dump it in the bowl.
Another thing you can do is break the measurements into smaller chunks. For example, instead of measuring out a cup of sugar, have them measure 1/3 cup of sugar three times.
Do they want to practice breaking an egg? Have them practice doing it into a separate small bowl, so if it's a total fail, you can just dump it and try again.
Buy some baking equipment just for them
This certainly isn't necessary, but it can be fun, especially if working together in the kitchen becomes a regular thing. Get them a child-size apron, maybe even with their name on it. You can even buy child-sized rolling pins and cookie trays for very young children. Check out my post on Baking Kits for Beginners to see photos and reviews of a variety of baking tools and accessories for toddlers through teens.
Happy baking -- and eating!
Jen
https://threekidsthreecatsandahusband.com/
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