8 Top Tips For Baking With Children

Baking with children isn’t everyone's cup of tea. For every person out there who loves whipping up delicious treats with their children, there is another sweating at the mere thought of the challenge. It can be messy, stressful and let’s face it, when little hands are involved it hardly ever comes out exactly like the picture

However, the rewards of getting your kids cooking at an early age are endless, not only are you teaching them invaluable skills you are also making memories that will last a lifetime. Whilst it’s easy to go into this thinking it isn’t going to be any fun there are lots of ways to help turn your dread into a truly enjoyable bonding experience.

That’s why we’ve put together our 8 top tips to help you and your kids enjoy baking together:

Channel your inner TV Chef and prepare your work surface with all the equipment and ingredients you need close at hand. By having these items organised in advance your baking with children experience will be truly transformed. All of our baking kits come with the dry ingredients pre-weighed and bagged separately so you can focus on the fun part, baking.

Nothing says you’re ready to bake more than donning your favourite apron. This handy tip also helps keep clothes clean during the inevitably messy baking process. Our Bakestore carries a wonderful range of colourful designs for you and your children.

When baking with children every step takes longer than usual so find a time when you have no plans or commitments and can allocate extra time to baking. Removing the stress of a deadline will make it much more fun for everyone.

Enthusiastic children, especially those who are still developing hand-eye coordination are prone to sending ingredients flying across the kitchen. Teach them to hold onto the bowl with one hand, while mixing with the other, the larger size will help more delicious ingredients make it to your plate.

Cooking can be a great way to learn about science, geography and maths in a practical way. It's good for fine motor skills and coordination too. As you're cooking, talk about the ingredients, where they come from and what other recipes they can be used in.

When baking with kids mess is inevitable. Whether it's flour on the floor or cake batter in their hair, try not to let the mess bother you and focus on the fact that you are teaching your children valuable life skills as well as spending quality time with them. Why not extend the activity to washing up too, and let them scrub those bowls clean with the warm soapy bubbles.

Children will learn to love cooking if you relax and have fun with them in the kitchen. If you feel nervous, start with basic recipes, they're still a good learning experience. Only step in when it's absolutely necessary, otherwise let them enjoy and create.

Do you have a top tip for baking with children? Let us know in the comments below!