Hi Everyone,
I want to make some cookies for some friend's children to decorate. The kids are 5, 4, and 2. I don't want to have them spread the icing with knives for obvious reasons. Since it is for the kids I was going to use Duncan Hines ready made icing. Can I soften the icing in the microwave and let them dip the cookies in or buy the pre-assembled tubes of icing and let them have fun.
Any ideas would be great!
TIA
I have done this before and I have used the ready made tubes of icing. Or I have made up several different colors of colorflow (royal) and put the colors in those plastic squeeze bottles and then I cut off a part of the top so that the color comes out easy!!!
Lots of fun but can turn in to a mess!!! I guess that's part of the fun too though!!!
I do this every year for my daughters birthday party's and you could use the DC icing and then use wooden popsicile sticks (Craft store) to ice with because really my daugthers favorite part is the icing because she can eat the mess off her fingers. Then they can sprinkle and decorate with edible stuff.
I've also used the disposable decorator bags and mixed different colors and put different tips on each color. Just use a twisty tie on the bag so the icing comes out the right end when they squeeze! 
Debbie
We just did something like this Saturday for my grand daughters birthday party (we had a cookie decorating booth). We use Betty Crooker Easy Writers, FooDoodlers, Cake Mate Writing Icings (made by McCormick).
We had some cookies plain and some with RC on them,we gave each child a paper plate and place 2 to 3 cookies in them.....and then we let them go 
. There where kids ages 2 to 13 and even the parents decorated some.
The kids really really enjoy decorating their own cookies and they where all real good at it also 
. I even took sucker bags and made a topper saying" This Cookie Was Decorated By (Child Name)". Seem the kids enjoy using the Cake Mate Writing Icings the best.
We also use more of the plain cookies for this, due to all the icing they would be putting on them their selfs, we were trying to avoid an Icing Over Dose .
Hope this helps you out.
My mom used to do cut out cookies for us and then would make what I now know is a colored egg wash - food coloring with a beaten egg, and then we would use cheap paint brushes and paint it on before the cookies went into the oven. When they come out they are all shiny and the "paint" is baked on the cookie.
My kids are in the same age range (5, 4, and 1) and they love decorating cookies! I allow the older two to use plastic knives, they can't really hurt themselves with that. Or we use spoons to put on and spread the frosting. Kids don't really care how it gets on there! And I think the sprinkles and such are even more fun for them! Have fun. Jodie
You could also make your regular icing, tint it different colors and put each of the different colors in a ziploc sandwich bag. Snip the tip off one corner and show the kids how to squeeze the icing out ... then they can spread it with popsicle sticks too, if necessary.
I too have a 5, 4 and 2 year old. Pretzel sticks are another great way to spread icing. You can use the disposable bags just a small hole cut so you don't have to fiddle with tips.
Food writers are another great way to go...mine love to decorate cookies and/fondant cakes with them.
Sprinkles and sparkles...put in a small bowl and let them use their fingers to sprinkle on. Don't put too much in the bowl as you will not be able to save this after licked fingers have been in it!!
And most of all....HAVE FUN!!!!
I have done cookie decorating at both of my daughters school parties (7 and 4). I used royal icing that I tinted depending on the party (hearts and snowmen) and plastic knives. The royal icing worked well for the kids who didn't eat them in class as it hardend by the time they got it home. It really kept them busy for a long time and they had a great time putting on all the sprinkles and accessories for the snowmen.
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