Sometimes it's difficult to do an activity because once it's been suggested it needs to start straight away. Whereas kids can pile into a craft box as soon as it's out of the cupboard, collecting ingredients for a recipe can sometimes be too frustrating for them. That's when I go for recipe mix.
We recently tried a recipe mix for Garlic and Herd Tear and Share Bread Mix. Bread mixes often have the advantage of being quick to get started but help the kids wait while the mixture is expanding. This one involved a rolling activity in the middle to keep kids interested.
If your kids are a bit sensory sensitive then have plenty of plain or bread flour available to stop it being sticky. To help your kids wait you can give them a timer or they could hold a 'wait' card and will know it's time to go back to the activity when you ask for the card back.
We used a Paul Hollywood Garlic and Herb Tear 'n' share Bread mix that needed:
- 5 dessert spoons olive oil
- 320ml water
- Baking tin (around 23 cm)
- Greaseproof paper
If your kids are younger you might need to help them with the kneading. No baker in their right mind would suggest hiding plastic toys in their dough - but I would. Squash them in and then try and squash them out again with the kids - voila kiddie kneading.
Plenty of flour here will stop the dough being too sticky. Rolling the balls is a great motor skill to kids to learn. If your child will let you, then you can help them move their hands with yours.
Afterwards you can have fun with sharing out the pieces. Have fun. What did make recently?
