If your little ones love baking, here are some fun and delicious ideas that they can help to make and decorate at home this Christmas.
Toddle spoke to Kerrie Murray, the Head Chef from Niño Early Learning Adventures Point Cook to find out just how beneficial baking is for children.
Why do you think children love hands-on baking type activities?
‘Children love being creative, part of a process, tasting ingredients and the end product, feeling a sense of achievement, getting their hands dirty, and even dressing up as a chef,’ she shares.
What sorts of skills do children learn from this type of activity?
‘The children learn so much through play and activities like this,’ shares Kerrie.
‘They’re learning mathematics skills, being able to express creativity, fine motor development, tastes and textures, sharing and turn-taking when passing the bowl around, communication skills when sharing ideas and naming ingredients or utensils being used.’
Which of these will you try first?
1. Melted snowman biscuit
It’s way too hot in Australia for a snowman, so make the most of the heat with these funny melted snowman biscuits. If you don’t feel like baking the biscuits, you can always use any plain store-bought biscuit such as Milk Arrowroot.
2. Strawberry Santas
This is a super cute way to entice children to make the most of the summer strawberries. All you need are large ripe strawberries, icing sugar, cream cheese and mini choc chips.
3. Reindeer Biscuits
If you’ve got a gingerbread man cutter, you’ve also got a reindeer cutter! Turning your gingerbread man upside down gives you the outline of these adorable reindeer. Then it’s just a matter of decorating them with icing (and of course a red nose).
‘Children feel a sense of achievement when they see the end result of their efforts,’ says Kerrie. ‘It also entices children to try new foods and communicate with others.’
Finally, we asked Kerrie to share her favourite Christmas treat to bake at home. ‘It’s got to be shortbread!’ she said. Get the recipe here.
Now that’s another good idea for a thank you present for your child’s educators!
Find out more about Niño Early Learning Adventures Point Cook here, or if you need to find child care in your area simply enter your postcode in the search bar at the top of the page.
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