Home with kids and need ideas? Baking with kids sounds like a good activity but the reality is not always easy. I polled a few fellow primary school mums about their cooking hacks with kids and here are 3 ways that can make cooking with kids easier. As Melbourne mum of 2 Isabelle puts it “Let’s be honest…baking with kids can be a nightmare! ”
1- Have a plan
Kids (I’m talking preschool and primary schoolers) change their mind alot……. so if you go in with a firm idea of what you are making you can keep things on track. As Isabelle mentions” have a recipe and mentally assign tasks to each child”.
Even if you want to let kids choose what they are baking, it can be easier to limit that choice to a couple of recipes. That way you can still keep kids involved in decisions but they won’t be able to request something crazy (like the 3 page wedding cake at the back of my copy of essential baking) ….
To help out, Nicole who works at The Laminated Cotton Shop has put together some easy chocolate recipes you can download below….
Check out our Malt choc cookies. So good! You can find it here
or the very yummy oreo hedgehog slice. Download it here.
2- Split up Tasks to avoid fights
Yup if you are baking with more than 1 child you can guarantee there will be a disagreement over something.
Seasoned baker Isabelle not only recommends making sure kids have separate tasks, but also to make them age appropriate. For Example “One child may measure the ingredients and the other mixes them together or one adds the liquids and the other adds the dry components. Or, one child may sift and the other might beat the eggs. Even just adding a spoonful of the relevant item can be a big enough task for a younger child.”
3- Make it easy to clean
Baking can be fun. Cleaning not so much. A waterproof apron can be the easiest way to save clothes getting wet and food splattered. We recommend getting an adjustable apron for kids so you can wash and wear the same one as kids get bigger. Laminated cotton kids aprons for example can fit ages 2-6 before you need to go up in size.
It can also be easier to clean up if you get kids involved in tidying up as you go . I find as I split up tasks between my 2 boys if one child needs something to do you can make putting something back its own task or having a child in charge of the vaccuum cleaner for incidental spills. (we make a lot of mess)
So while baking with kids can be an event its also a really positive and comforting indoor activity for kids at home.
As Isabelle puts it “Baking is an amazing bonding experience and it is easy to get caught up in the moment. Children learn so much from interacting with you and baking enables you to give them your full attention and for them to receive lots of praise from you. Good luck!”