8 Fun Food Activities for Kids
Editor’s Note: This post is sponsored.
Summertime can be a stressful time for parents and kids. We find ourselves with bored kids on our hands and are always on the lookout for fun hands-on activities to keep them engaged. No one wants to be doing tedious worksheets and flashcards, and even though summer is about being outdoors and playing, we occasionally need a break from physical activity and a chance to cool off inside.
More: 7 Best Children's Books About Food
One of our favorite activities in my house has always been cooking. My youngest loves to decorate cookies and cupcakes, and my oldest gets into the math and science involved and enjoys trying new foods.
Cooking together is a fun way to bond; it is also highly educational! So much of cooking and baking can be treated as a science activity, and both preschoolers and big kiddos can get on board with that! Your kids are also learning math skills through measuring and weighing, fun motor skills and dexterity, and essential life and social skills are taught when you involve your kids in trips to the grocery store and making lists.
In my house over the past year-plus of the pandemic, we have tried everything from a failed rock candy experiment to DIY pizzas to fancy layer cakes with fondant!
In this article, we have put together eight fun ideas for cooking projects, courtesy of Kidiosity, that are kid-friendly and sure to take mealtime to the next level!
Kidiosity was founded as an easy and accessible way to help parents find fun and engaging activities for their children. Their activities promote open-ended questions which spark curiosity and problem-solving. Kidiosity also helps parents who may be struggling to find ways to connect with their children by providing unique activities with clear and detailed instructions. So whether you homeschool your children or are simply trying to make the most out of the time you have with them, Kidiosity can help your children become independent thinkers and problem solvers while creating lasting memories you both will cherish.
1. Fruit Waffle Cones
What is there not to love about this delicious treat? Not only is it perfect for a Memorial Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day picnic but this dessert is a great alternative to messy, drippy ice cream that melts too fast outside!
All you need to make this fun snack are ice cream cones, melted white chocolate, and sliced berries!
If you’re not a fan of white chocolate, you could use melted yogurt drops, marshmallow fluff, or even vanilla frosting. This one is so simple even your little ones can get in on the fun!
See the full recipe on Kidiosity.
2. Berry Muffins
It doesn’t have to be a holiday to spoil anyone with delicious homemade muffins. Muffins are a fun activity to bake from scratch, but you can also find many boxed muffin options at the grocery store.
Muffins can be a nutritious snack, too, depending on the ingredients you use, and are easy to change up to fit different dietary needs and allergies. Your kids will have fun doing the toothpick test in the middle of the muffins to ensure they are baked all the way through.
Make a cute card or picture and pass these off to someone special in your life!
See the full recipe on Kidiosity.
3. Skillet Bread
Did you know you could bake bread in a skillet? I definitely didn’t! This idea is one that will be a must-try in my home and will also be a fun science experiment! The great thing about skillet bread is that no kneading is needed (pun intended!), making it much quicker to produce than traditional bread.
There are all types of recipes available to try, but this traditional bread recipe topped with some olive oil, rosemary, and thyme sounds and looks delicious! Warm skillet bread is guaranteed to be something the whole family will enjoy eating and can be served as part of dinner or a healthy snack with some veggies or fruit!
See the full recipe on Kidiosity.
4. No-Bake Energy Balls
No-bake recipes make excellent toddler activities because there are no hot elements to worry about when little, curious hands are present.
Energy balls are versatile like muffins because they can be created with a variety of healthy foods made to fit your dietary needs and preferences. Typically they include oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, raisins, or craisins. You can also use coconut, chia seeds, honey, cinnamon, and other spices and nuts.
Rolling this delicious snack is a great fine motor activity for small hands, and they promote healthy eating because of all the nutritious ingredients. We just made some of these the other day!
Get the full recipe on Kidiosity.
5. Cooooookie Cupcakes
If you have a preschooler or a toddler, they are guaranteed to love these adorable Cookie Monster-inspired cupcakes. According to Cookie Monster, cookies are one of the major food groups, so why not combine them with another favorite, cupcakes!
To make these adorable little monsters use a traditional box cake mix in your flavor of choice. You will also need vanilla frosting, blue food coloring, a piping bag and tip, chocolate chip cookies (the soft ones are easier to break), and candy eyes.
These may take a little bit of work and dedication but are a great interactive activity, and we are sure they will pass both the kid and adult taste tests!
Get the full recipe on Kidiosity.
6. Sunflower Cupcakes
While we’re on the topic of cupcakes, how about making these adorable sunflower cupcakes? These cute little treats look as if they were taken directly off the pages of a children’s book.
Easy as one two three, you will need boxed vanilla cake mix, vanilla frosting, yellow food coloring, and chocolate chips. These are a fun, and simple treat easy to whip up any day of the week.
See the full recipe on Kidiosity.
7. Galaxy Berries
Sure making traditional popsicles is fun, but why not try something different by making these stellar treats? These are chilled in the fridge making them a very refreshing snack.
You will need whole strawberries, melting chocolate in your colors of choice, and skewers. If you want to involve your young children in this fun project, you can melt the chocolate in a separate container and transfer it to a plastic bowl or storage container.
You could also try other things like watermelon, graham crackers, gummy worms, marshmallows, etc., pretty much anything that tastes good with chocolate on it!
Place the dipped berries on wax paper in the fridge or freezer to cool and they’ll be ready to enjoy in a few hours!
See the full activity on Kidiosity.
8. Space Cookies
Since we left the galaxy to make our berries, let's end with these delicious space cookies!
These can be made by using plain store-bought cookies from your local bakery or grocery store, or you can make your own sugar cookies. You can also purchase black or dark blue frosting to give the cookies that nighttime sky look instead of trying to dye it yourself.
Using writing icing and gel icing, your children can decorate them to have whatever starry night scene they wish. The fun part of this activity is that each one will be unique and different.
See the activity in full on Kidiosity.
