Children’s giggles and the smell of freshly baked cookies fill the kitchen. Today you are not just baking cookies you are creating memories, teaching lessons, and bonding with your kiddos.
Baking with your kids can be a valuable experience if you prepare correctly and take advantage of the moments. If you want to know how to bake cookies with your kids keep reading.
How to Bake Cookies With Your Kids
There are so many things to consider when you are baking cookies with your kids. However, there are a few factors that will be consistent across the whole process.
Remember that preparation is key. Prepare your supplies and your ingredient before you start baking. Make sure you include your child in every step of the process so they can get the most out of it.
Take opportunities to create teachable moments. Your children can have fun and not even realize they are learning. Also, consider kid-friendly baking tips and what your child should do, and what mom and dad should do.
Finally, make sure you have tools that work for your kids. This can mean smaller kitchen tools for tiny hands. It can also mean a step stool so little hands can reach.
Pick a Recipe
There are so many types of cookies you can bake with your kids. However, when you want to pick the best kinds of cookies to bake with them there are a few things to consider.
Unless your child is the next Master Chef Junior you want to be sure to pick a recipe that is not too complicated. You also want to pick a recipe that allows them to have fun with it. So figure out a way you can decorate the cookies and make them unique.
Hit the Store
Once you have a recipe, make a shopping list. You can work on spelling and writing by telling your child what you need and having them write the list. Plan to have extra ingredients in case your little one drops the eggs or spills the flour.
Head to the grocery store with your littles and include them in finding the ingredients. This will allow them to practice identifying things and reading to see what different things are. If you want to work on math skills you can have them look at prices and add the cost, but make it fun!
Do not forget the milk you will need to wash down your tasty creations later!
Set Up Kitchen Rules
The kitchen can be a dangerous place. However, if you put proper safety guidelines in place it will reduce the risk. Make sure that your kids know what they can and cannot touch.
Also, explain to them why that is a rule. If it is something that they need to have supervision with, such as the oven, let them know that they can only touch that when you say it is okay and you are there to help.
You are in the kitchen so just in case fingers get pinched, cut, or burned be sure to keep the first aid kit nearby. In addition, be prepared with kisses to make it better.
Prepare for Baking
The first step of preparation is to prepare for the mess that is bound to happen. Make sure that your kids are wearing clothes that can get dirty, put on aprons, tie long hair back, wash hands, and toss on a chef’s hat.
Not only will wearing the apron and hat help keep your child from getting too covered in flour and other ingredients but it will be fun for them. Next, cover your counters to help with the later process of clean-up.
Now that you are ready for the mess, start pulling out ingredients and dishes that will be needed. You can have your child help with this process as well. Make sure that you have your recipe handy.
Cover your pans with parchment paper and grease them. Turn the oven on to pre-heat and you are ready to start the baking process.
The Baking Begins
This is where the real fun starts! The process of actually baking the cookies allows you to have fun and for your child to learn at the same time.
Have your child help with measuring ingredients and expect to find flour going everywhere and possible eggshells in the batter. If you are worried about the eggshells consider having them crack the eggs into a separate bowl.
Helping measure and put the ingredients together will work on fine motor skills, math for measuring, and following directions in the recipe. You can also have them read the recipe.
Expect chocolate chips to go missing and to see little fingers in the batter, but have fun with it. When you put the cookies in the oven have your child look and see how long to bake the cookies and set a timer.
Clean-up Time
Baking cookies with your kids can be fun and messy. Once your creation is in the oven and baking take the time to clean up and still keep your child involved.
Talk about how you plan to decorate the cookies and who you will share them with to keep them engaged in the process while cleaning. By the time you are done cleaning the cookies should be almost ready to come out of the oven and cool!
Once the cookies are ready for decorating be sure to cover the area you will be decorating in to keep the mess contained and make clean up easy!
Enjoy Your Cookies
Now that you know how to bake cookies with your kids, get to the kitchen and start baking! You will create memories and fun and some yummy creations to pair with a nice glass of milk.
Did this article give you ideas of fun ways to engage with your children? Visit the parenting section for even more fun activities you can do with your little ones!
The kid are wearing clothes that can get dirty and put on aprons, tie long hair back.