Baking with children of all ages can be an enjoyable and rewarding activity with a little advance planning and consideration.
As a caring adult who wants to share a new experience with a special child or children, you will want to do what you can to ensure baking together is fun for everyone involved.
For a child, part of the fun comes from feeling like he or she is capable and competent.
Here are three tips for setting children up for success in the kitchen.
First, know your helper(s) and plan accordingly.
Pick a recipe that is simple, age appropriate, and that has steps that the child will be able to perform independently and/or steps that can be shared with you.
Avoid complicated recipes that relegate the child to the status of an onlooker.
Beginning bakers might drop things (like eggs or butter) or end up with as much flour or sugar on the counter as in the measuring cup, so it is a good idea to be prepared with more than enough of all ingredients.
Take the size of your helper(s) into account when picking a location for mixing up the ingredients.
A table might be more accessible than the counter, for example, or a step stool is another option.
Now that you have chosen a suitable recipe and location and gathered the necessary ingredients, with back up quantities available, you are ready to begin.
Setting a child up for success at this stage involves putting yourself in his or her place and remembering that some skills that seem automatic to you are actually learned.
Measuring flour correctly or what packed brown sugar means are examples of what must be taught, but after a little practice, a child will be able to do these steps independently.
Keep this in mind as you break steps of the recipe down into component parts so you can do them together, allowing you to show and tell what you are doing and for you both to be involved.
Encourage an "I can do it myself" attitude by modeling and giving room for practice and error.
For example, have the child practice cracking an egg into a small bowl, not directly into the mixing bowl.
That way, a little shell fragment can be easily removed before transferring the egg or a second attempt can be made with another egg if needed.
A final tip for setting children up for a successful baking experience is to check in with yourself and adjust your attitudes and expectations if necessary.
Baking with children will take longer than baking alone, sometimes considerably longer, and it will not be fun if there is a hurried, rushed approach because not enough time was set aside for the activity.
Some elements of baking require a very high level of accuracy and others do not.
Measuring must be accurate and if you need to support a child in measuring and he or she gets frustrated by your intervention, take the time to explain why accurate measurements are critical to the outcome.
On the other hand, if the issue is something less important, like the shape or decoration of the baked goods, be prepared to let go the need for things to be done just so.
Ultimately, for all your careful efforts, mistakes can still happen.
Even experienced bakers sometimes pull inedible failures out of the oven.
If this happens, maintain a positive attitude and focus on the fun of the process rather than the failed product.
As you can see, a little planning and thoughtfulness go a long way in setting children up for success as they learn to bake.
For additional tips, I invite you to read more of my EzineArticles on Baking with Kids.