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Fun ways to involve your young children at every age!

I love to bake. I love my kids. I always daydreamed about the day I would bake with my kids. It would be perfection: We would laugh and smile and get flour in our hair and have chocolate smeared around our mouths. They would take turns cracking eggs and I’d show them how to fish the shells out using bigger shell pieces. They would sit on the counter and turn on the mixer and be amazed as liquid cream whipped up into mounds of fluffy, sweetened clouds of bliss.

It was going to be magical. I could not wait.

Baking is therapeutic to me. I love the quiet rhythm of scooping flour and sometimes sinking my hands into the flour bin and squeezing fistful of the soft powder just for fun. I didn’t know it was “sensory play” at the time, but as a kid I used to love dunking my hands into the huge bin of flour and indulging in the cool, soft, light and almost liquidy sensation it gave. I love the warm smell of cocoa powder and the stress-relieving powers of kneading a smooth dough under my palms (and the amazing smell of fresh bread baking in the house!). It calms me.

Baking with kids is not therapeutic to me. It can actually be pretty stressful. They get eggs everywhere, then lick it off their fingers (ACK! NO!!). They scoop flour, then spill it (ugh). They stir a batter, then tip over the bowl (nooo!!). They constantly beg, “MOMMY CAN I DO THAT MOMMY IT’S MY TURN MOMMY I WANT TO DO THAT!” They sneak bites of chocolate (mmMMmMMMmmm). They sniff at everything (ahhHHHhhHhhH). They squeal with delight when I let them lick freshly churned ice cream off the paddle (which also makes for the cutest chocolate-covered smiling faces!). They smile with closed eyes and then stop talking altogether when they finally get to bite into the freshly-baked cookies they’ve been smelling for the last fifteen minutes.

…Like the ones we had tonight. We used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and somehow it came out wrong. Maybe I made a measurement error while doubling the recipe (I should not have–it already makes a generous amount!). Maybe it was baking with a 2- and 4- year old. Maybe my daughter counted the wrong number of scoops of flour. Whatever the case, the cookies rose too much and were more cakey than chewy. Even as I scooped out hunks of dough to form into logs for freezing, I realized that some logs were really thick and meaty, and some were goopy and weak. They had not been mixed evenly, and now I had seven failed logs of cookie dough (!) to go through before I could make a proper batch again.

Wah-wah.

But the kids didn’t seem to notice, and Ben didn’t mind at all. When we sat down to milk and cookies, everyone smiled their contented, closed-eyes smiles and there was a chorus of “mmMMm” and “yummMmm” and “Mm, not bad!” around the table. Because really, who’s going to complain about fresh-baked cookies on a rainy day?

And this is always when I start again through the amnesia cycle and think to myself, “Wasn’t that fun? Let’s do it again!” And you know, it IS fun. For the kids. And I know they can’t wait to do it again. There is so much to experience even in cracking an egg. They’ve seen plenty of pictures of eggs, but to hold the cool egg in their palms and tap-tap-tap it against a bowl to crack-CRACK it is another thing. To feel the slimy egg goop on their hands and then watch it blend and disappear into the other ingredients is truly a unique experience. They are seeing, smelling, touching, hearing (and, unfortunately sometimes tasting… bleh!) all in one small little baking task.  Baking is such a multi-sensory experience for kids, and one they can actually eventually EAT. There is a special satisfaction that comes with making your own food, and it is such a wonderful thing for kids to create and enjoy the work of their hands.

There is also a ton of practical learning that can take place during a baking session with kids. There are endless opportunities to weave math skills in, such as counting, measuring (fractions!), weighing (units of measure), doubling recipes (multiplication, fractions), measuring time. There is also so much opportunity to introduce rich vocabulary as you describe the smells, textures, tastes, and sounds you hear. They will understand these words in a totally different way when they are actually engaged in hands-on, multi-sensory experiences where they apply. There is plenty of social learning, from taking turns (especially when siblings are involved) to cleanliness (wash yo hands!) to kindness, thoughtfulness, and sharing (cookies for all!). They practice self-control when you tell them not to lick the brownie batter with raw eggs in it, and they have plenty of opportunity practice taking things slowly and cleaning up after themselves.

Sure, JoEllen, that all sounds good, but my kid is only one. Is there really much he can do in the kitchen right now? Why, yes! Yes! There is! And there are plenty of ways to involve toddlers and preschoolers, too. So many that I made lists for you of ways to involve your 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5- year olds in the baking fun! If you don’t bake as often or can’t think of a single task that would seem successful with your child, then start at the ideas for one-year old children and slowly work your way up as your child proves herself more capable. For example, anyone can take a ripe, browned banana and squish it up in its own skin for banana bread! Fair warning, there’s a decent chance it will burst out of its skin and make a mess, but that’s part of the fun, too (for your kid, at least).

Please note that all of the suggested activities are really just suggestions and ideas based on what has worked for me and my kids. They might not be appropriate for the child(ren) you are working with, so please use your own discretion and knowledge of the child(ren) and their abilities to decide if it is an appropriate activity and adjust the activities as needed. Parents should be nearby and supervise all tasks closely!

If the idea of bringing your young child into the kitchen to bake with you seems daunting, you are not alone. I still shy away from baking with my kids sometimes because of all the potential mess and hazards, but I ultimately choose to do it because I think it is so beneficial and fun. I make it more manageable by choosing age-appropriate tasks for them to participate through. You might be surprised at how much they can do! I know I was tinkering away in the kitchen on my own when I was nine, and I hope to give my kids the same freedom when they get older. Until then, I’ll be here to guide them through the kitchen and hope to make great memories through it!

Fun and easy ways to involve your young kids in the baking fun!

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Age 0-1

This is a great time to introduce your child to different smells! One of our favorite children’s museums has an interactive exhibit where kids can squeeze and smell various items, such as crayons, rose petals, coffee, cinnamon, etc. This is what initially gave me the idea to waft various ingredients in front of my kids’ noses when they were too young to eat them. I would bring aromatic herbs, spices, and ingredients out for them to smell when I cooked and baked. They were especially intrigued when I waved cinnamon under their noses. Other great items would be cocoa powder, nutmeg, rosemary, lemon, orange zest, vanilla extract or vanilla beans, brown sugar, honey, coffee, tea, toasted nuts, etc.

Here are some fun hands-on ideas for your budding baby chef. He can even participate from the comfort of his high chair!

• Squeezing and squishing the ripe, brown banana to prep it for banana bread
• Put Oreos in a gallon-sized zip top bag and let your child help smash it to crumbs with a rolling pin for a mud pie (or graham crackers for key lime bars, etc.)
• Shake sprinkles onto cupcakes (maybe with some assistance, so it ends up in the right place)
• If you’re adding water to a bowl, then let them hold the handle of the measuring cup to pour it into the bigger bowl. Assist as needed. After more practice, they should be able to do it on their own.

Age 2

At this age, toddlers are very curious and eager to get involved. They’re usually not too picky about what they’re doing as long as they get to do something! We have a Learning Tower for our kids to stand on when they watch or “help out” in the kitchen. Here are some ideas for how they do that:

• Hold the measuring spoon over the bowl while you pour in the baking soda, salt, etc. then they can turn it over to dump into the bowl. You can hold the spoon together with them if their hands aren’t steady enough.
• Hold the dry measuring cup over the bowl while you pour in the rice krispies, sugar, oatmeal, etc. and then they can turn it over to dump into the bowl. You can hold the measuring cup together with them if their hands aren’t steady enough.
• Mix the batter. They sometimes need to use both hands to grip the whisk to get it moving, so you might want to hold the bowl down for them so it doesn’t tip over.
• Pull down on the food processor tab (teach them how to pulse: “Downnnn UP! Downnnn UP!”). Be sure to hold the food processor firmly on the countertop before letting them pull down on the tab so it doesn’t tip at all.
• Scoop easier-to-clean-when-spilled items like chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, etc.
• Turn the handle on an apple peeler
• Chop nuts with a safe food chopper (we have something like this)
• Count together! Count the number of eggs you are taking out, the number of scoops of flour you are pouring in, the number of cookies you place onto the baking sheet.
• Place the muffin liners into the wells of a muffin tin
• Peel bananas (for many recipes, including these simple banana and oat pancakes)

Age 3

Their fine motor skills are definitely improving. You’ll want to give them more opportunities to strengthen their fingers, so let them squeeze, squeeze, squeeze everything they can!

• Peel the paper off of the butter
• Cracking eggs together (grown up holding the egg together with toddler). Only do this one if your child can and will follow your instructions to keep their hands out of their mouths (and if you are not e. coli-phobic like I am. Real talk though I HATE letting my kids do the eggs, but I know they love it so much that I make myself deal with the stress and anxiety that comes with it. Like how they inevitably try to stick their egg-slimy fingers into their mouths, and how I make them hold their hands above their heads and immediately ask Ben to whisk them off to the sink for a thorough hand-washing…). If you are looking for a stress-free and less messy experience, though, save this for a bigger kid!
• Put toppings on a pizza
• Squeeze out honey into measuring cup (if you need a few tablespoons, I actually use and recommend this mini measuring cup a lot!)
• Squeeze lemons and limes (for lemon bars)
• Dip things in chocolate (frozen bananas, shortbread, drizzle chocolate on caramel apples)

Age 4

Four-year olds are capable of so much! Here are some fun ways to get them involved in the baking fun:

• When you need to microwave something, let your child push the buttons on the microwave. They can practice number recognition this way, too!
• Teach your child to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula
• Turn the crank on the can opener (while you grip the handles). Be careful not to let their little fingers go near the sharp lid edges, though!
• Knead dough
• Brush on butter or cream over scones
• Decorate sugar cookies
• Cut butter into smaller pieces with a butter or plastic knife
• Slice bananas with a butter or plastic knife (for Banana Nutella Croissants, crepes, or bananas foster)

Age 5

I don’t actually have a five year old yet, but here are some things my daughter is able to do, or I think she’ll soon be able to do!

• Teach them how to scoop and level off flour with the back of a butter knife. Once they can do this, they can also do the oatmeal, almond meal, and, if they’re REALLY CAREFUL, the sugar! (I don’t let her do the sugar because ANTS. But I am assuming most people are not as uptight as I am, so maybe you’d be okay with letting her measure out the sugar, too!)
• Zest the orange with a microplane grater. I didn’t realize until recently that you’re supposed to hold the fruit in one hand, then drag the microplane zester across the top of the fruit (grater edges down) to zest your citrus! Your zest accumulates in a neat pile along the top of the microplane zester and then you can tip it over and tap it into your bowl. (If that didn’t make sense, see this video at 0:52). This might not be for every four year old, but my daughter enjoys this task. Be sure to show them how to do it correctly and watch them closely to prevent any accidents! Monitor this activity closely, as there are sharp edges on a microplane. Use your judgment to decide if this is an appropriate task for them or not! (Try these scrumptious almond honey squares with orange zest!).
• Measure out liquid ingredients in a liquid measuring cup. Teach them how to pour a little and then check it at eye level to see if it’s the right amount. (Extra credit: teach them what a meniscus is! Or, use these measuring cups).
• Scoop or pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones
• Use ice cream scoop to scoop out cookie dough onto the baking sheet
• Crack eggs (if they have practiced many times together with an adult, they may be able to do this independently by age 4)

There are so many other possibilities, but these are the first ones that came to mind as I scrolled through the yummy desserts we enjoy making together. It goes without saying that a two year old can do all of the 0-1 year old activities as well, and a five year old would probably enjoy participating in all of the activities listed above! As cooler weather approaches, I hope you’ll find an excuse to pull the kids into the kitchen and enjoy a fun and messy baking day together!

What are some ways you involve your kids in the kitchen? Share in the comments below!

 

P.S. Are you on Instagram? I recently started experimenting with updating there, would love if you followed along! Click on the Instagram icon under my profile picture or look me up @mycuppacocoa! Looking forward to connecting with more of you :).

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