Kids Activities

Things to make and do | Things to cook | Nursery rhymes | Art gallery

Things To Cook

Small children love helping to cook and they love eating the food they’ve helped to make. However, sensible precautions need to be taken with small children in the kitchen. They obviously should not be near hotplates, ovens or knives but depending on their age, there are things you can involve them with.

Two year olds are learning to use the large muscles in their arms.
They are likely to enjoy things like:

scrubbing vegetables and fruits
dipping vegetables and fruits
tearing lettuce and salad greens
breaking bread for stuffing
snapping fresh beans
wiping surfaces

Three year olds are learning to use their hands. They might try:

pouring liquids into a batter
mixing batter
shaking a milk drink
spreading peanut butter on firm bread
kneading dough

Four and five year olds are learning to control smaller muscles in their fingers. They could get involved in:

rolling bananas in cereal for a snack
juicing oranges, lemons and limes
mashing soft fruits and vegetables
measuring dry and liquid ingredients
beating eggs with an eggbeater

Here are some recipes that your child might be able to help you with:

Making Butterfly Cakes

For the cakes you will need

2 medium eggs
110g (40z) self raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
110g (4oz) butter (soft)
110g (4oz) sugar
12 cake cases

For the butter icing you will need
170g (6oz) icing sugar
85g (3oz) butter (soft)
3 drops of vanilla extract
1tbsp of milk

Put all the ingredients for the cakes into a bowl and start off the mixing. Get your child to continue mixing while you preheat the oven to 170c (325f) or gas mark 3.
When the ingredients are well mixed, your child can use a spoon to fill each cake case half to two thirds full and put them on a baking tray (a bun tin with cake case holes is even better).
Place the tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
When they are cool, use a sharp knife to slice off the top part of each cake. Cut the slice in two. These will be used to form the wings of the butterfly.
Place all the items for the butter icing in a bowl and get your child to stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
Get your child to place about a teaspoon of the butter icing on top of each cake. They can then push the ‘wings’ into the butter icing.

Making Fairy Cakes

100g (4oz) of butter
100g (4oz) of castor sugar
2 eggs
100g (4oz) of self raising flour
50g (2oz) of sultanas or chocolate chips or cherries

Get your child to put the cake papers into the bun tin.
Start to cream the butter and sugar together until it looks pale and fluffy. Your child can help mix.
Let your child beat in the eggs a little at a time. You’ll need to beat well after each addition
Fold in the flour and then the fruit or whatever you have chosen. Your child can also help with this.
Get them to spoon the mixture into the paper cases only half filling each one.
Bake at 190c (375f) or gas mark 5 for 15-20 minutes or until golden
Place on a cooling rack until cool

Making Shortbread

225g (9oz) butter
225g (9oz) plain flour (sifted)
112.5g (4.5oz) sugar
Will make 12 chunky fingers of shortbread. Once you have made the shortbread, you can ice it or you can add chocolate chips or dried fruit to the mixture before cooking.

Heat your oven to 150c (300f) or gas mark 2
With room temperature ingredients, cream together the butter and sugar (ideal for little people to do)
Let your child slowly add in the flour and bring together with hands to make a dough. You’ll need to finish this off for them.
Place the shapes you want onto the buttered, heated baking tray and bake for 40 minutes
Place on a cooling rack to cool

Making Gingerbread Men

You will need:

350g (12oz) of plain white flour
5ml (1tsp) of bicarbonate of soda
10mls (2tsps) of ground ginger
100g (4oz) of butter or margarine
175g (6oz) of light soft brown sugar
60mls (4tbsp) of golden syrup
1 egg
Currants for decoration
Gingerbread Men cutters

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger into a bowl.
Let your child start to rub in the butter or margarine until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
Let them stir in the sugar – you’ll probably have to help with both those stages.
Beat the syrup into the egg – best done by you.
Get them to stir the mixture together.
Mix to form a dough and then knead it until smooth – they can help but once again, you’ll need to finalise it.
Divide into two equal sizes and roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm (1/4 inch) thick.
Using cutters, cut out gingerbread figures and put them on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Your child can then decorate with the currants to make eyes, mouth, etc.
Bake at 190c (375f) or gas mark 5 for 12-15 minutes or until golden
Cool on the tray for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack
Enjoy eating them

Making Biscuit Faces

You will need:

Rich tea biscuits
Tubes of ready-made icing
Glace cherries
Smarties, raisins, hundreds and thousands and any other decoration

Get your child to decorate the biscuits by squeezing the icing onto the biscuits and sticking the sweet stuff onto the icing.

Making Rice Krispie Cakes

You will need:

1 bar of milk chocolate
2 mugs of rice Krispies

Melt the chocolate in either the microwave or over some boiling water (if in the microwave, keep an eye on it as it melts very quickly and will then burn). Bear in mind small children and boiling water should be kept well apart.
Get your little one to add the rice krispies and mix in well until all is covered in chocolate (the amount of rice krispies you need will depend on the individual).
Your child can now transfer the mixture to cake paper cases with a tsp and put in the fridge until hard.
Enjoy.

Making Knickerbocker Glory

You will need:

Assorted chopped fruit
Jelly
Ice Cream
Cream
Chocolate sprinkles
A tall glass

Let your child put a few spoonfuls of jelly into the bottom of the tall glass.
Get them to add some fruit and then on top of that some ice cream.
They can continue this sequence until the glass is nearly full.
At the top add some cream (preferably clotted or the cream that you can squirt out of the can). Probably best if you do that bit.
Get them to top with sprinkles and eat.