I am wanting to let my three and five year old to help decorate cookies for Christmas. This will be our first baking experience and I am in need of some kid-friendly advice. I make NFSC with RBC when I decorate, but that doesn't seem like it would be the best for that age. What are some tips that you can give me that will make it easier?

Great post. Sorry I have nothing to offer, just waiting to benefit from the information you get. I have yet to let my daughter help with baking and I feel like I am depriving her. But she always wants to end up just mixing up yukky, messy ingredients and serving it up at her pretend party.

jobarto: my 3 yr old loves mixing cake batter and tasting it too of course. I am sad to say I never make home made cookies because they never come out right, they spread all over the pan.

when my kids were younger, they wold choose all the flavors they wanted. i then baked. afterwards i would frost with acnned frosting and let them have fun with sprinkles and wht not...they had a blast and they wern't that bad to eat either

I usually let them use RI. messy, but it's somewhat the easiest for them at an early age. my avatar is of DD decorating cookies. that icing she took was a bit too stiff for her. But it worked. she did her thing w/the cookies and was very happy.

My kids and I decorate cookies all the time.. I just have them use RI and have at it. The best thing you can do for them is to just let their creative juices flow and not restrict them. You are talking about 3 and 5 years old so don't expect perfection. Sometimes I'll decorate a few and then they try to copy mine. Have plenty of colors or at least 2 of each color if you only have a few to use so they won't fight over the colors. I use disposable bags and simple tips like round tips and star tips and leaf tips. You can let them use sprinkles or dragees.. gumdrops and chocolate chips are fun too. Be sure to stress not licking the icing from their fingers if you are sharing them with others. I do this anyway just to reinforce kitchen cleanliness. Let them have FUN.. that's the most important thing. Expect a mess.. have them wear smocks or old t-shirts and did I mention have fun??

I use those tiny little plastic(?) ponytail holders that come like 50-100 in a pack to close the piping bag after filling it with icing. This keeps frosting from going out the top and all over the place when the little ones inevitably squeeze the bag right in the middle!

We've been doing this for years. I use a simple sugar cookie recipe or better yet, the refrigerated cookie dough. You roll, they cut. They just love watching them bake.

I use buttercream icing in 4 or 5 Christmas colors. It is easy for them to squeeze (make sure you make it a soft consistency) and it tastes so good on sugar cookies and when they lick their finers . Disposable bags are a great idea and I twist the end and put clothes pins so when they squeeze, the icing doesn't come gooping out the wrong end.

I did this with our whole Awana club and cupcakes one year(about 70 kids). Be prepared for greasy fingers and lots of licking but that's what makes it fun and take lots of pictures when you are done. I have pictures of my kids Christmas cookies from years and years ago.

I do like the idea of royal. It is less greasy but might be a little harder to squeeze for them.

I agree with jkalman on using a few different simple tips...round and star, then show them how you do a few, lend a helping hand, but let them have at it. What fun!!

I had all the neighborhood kids over last christmas to decorate cookies. I cheated and bought the frozen pre-cut ones from Gordon Food Service and had them all baked up before they got there. I had bowls of different colored icing and bowls of sprinkles. All they had to do was swipe some icing on the cookie and dunk in the sprinkles. For the older kids I had disposable bags with different tips and they made fancier cookies. I think, all told, they decorated about 18 dozen cookies. Each kid took home a dozen cookies and we had some for "oops, I have to eat this one". The kids ranged in age from 4 to 13. It was messy but so much fun!

Yes.. I use the hair elastics to close the bags too!! Works like a charm!

With my DGD I use the Wilton bottles that the tips fit on and put the different colors of RI or chocolate and BC in them. She just has to squeeze the bottle and she can change the tips when she wants to make the flowers etc.

LU

With my DGD I use the Wilton bottles that the tips fit on and put the different colors of RI or chocolate and BC in them. She just has to squeeze the bottle and she can change the tips when she wants to make the flowers etc.

LU

My oldest son just turned 6, my daughter is 4 (almost 5) and my youngest son is 1 1/2. My son started baking alongside me around the age of two. I have clear images in my mind of him helping make his red velvet cake for his 2nd birthday party. And the rest have followed right along. The first year I baked Christmas cookies with my son, daughter was too young but I put some flour on her high chair tray, gave her a cup and spoons and she was happy!!

What we do is all work together to mix up the dough. Once it's chilled the kids roll out the dough and cut them out. Mom's job is to transfer to cookie sheets and bake. Once baked, we all decorate. We've used both glaze icing and buttercream. We prefer bc for the taste and will probably stick with that from here on out. I put a bunch of icing in small bowls and the kids mix up the colors. Then we use plastic knives to spread on the bc. Of course, no cookie is complete until they've added just the right amount of sprinkles, red hots, chocolate chips, etc...

It's at least a 2 -3 day process to do our Christmas cut outs and then we make lots of other goodies as well. The kids love doing it. Okay, the cookies don't come out looking like a pro did them, but they taste yummy and the kids are happy and proud! It's one of my favorite Christmas activities.

All of my children love to bake. My children seem to prefer the colored sugar most. I make the NFSC dough roll it out and they cut out the cookies. I put out shakers of colored sugar and bags of buttercream(for the youngest) and rolled buttercream for the oldest two. I just let them have at it and then we play a clean up game. As you can see in my avator pic, my son loves to do cookies!!! Just have fun!!!

I let my 5 and 2 1/2 year old decorate cookies ,cupcakes and cake all the time. I always decorate a few myself as well. I just cover the table in a plastic table cloth and set out all the frosting and sprinkles and candy and let them go to town. I give them plastic knifes to spread the frosting on, and they have free range to decorate any way they would like. They even help with rolling out the cookie dough and cutting the cookies out too sometimes. They love it and its not about making perfect cookies its about them having fun and doing something themselves. The cookies always end up with a ton of icing and sprinkles on them, and even more icing and sprinkles end up on the boys. But they have a blast!

I always cover the table with a large beach towel. It keeps the decorations from rolling onto the floor and gives them a place to wipe their fingers instead of licking them. When we're through, I just pick it up and throw it in the wash.

yourstrulytx - Great point about laying out a plastic table cloth, first! I get them at WalMart out of the party supply section where they sell them for 97 cents (or sometimes clearance for 75 cents). They are a life saver....no clean up! Just roll up the tablecloth when done and throw it out!

My almost-3-year-old helps me hold my hand mixer (my hands over his) and cut out cookies (ditto.) Last Christmas he put sprinkles on a selection of cookies ... more wound up on the floor (and him) than on the cookies, but he did have fun.

Since I've been experimenting with MMF on cookies, I'm considering putting white fondant on some simple cookies, letting it set, then letting him loose with the food coloring markers this year. Actually, sending in a batch of those cookies and a set of markers might be cool for his preschool ...

My nieces have been decorating cake and cookies with me since they 2 and 3. They had been watching me their wholel little lives so they already had a clue as to what to do. I realized they also had been wathching me sample and taste test . My nephew knew what buttons to push on my old Oster mixer when he was 2. And at age 7 he decorated his own Spiderman BDay Cake. (My chest still swells with pride.)

Now they are 5,6 and 8. They are so creative. And really good in math.
I agree hair elastics are great
You and your sprouts are going to have a ball.

jkalman hit the nail on the head - don't have too high of expectations. Their idea of perfect is much different than yours. Having fun is teh most important part and the memories you are creating are priceless! Make sure they wash their hands and I give them their own apron.

My son started cooking with me by 2 and now he is 5 and a darn good little chef. My other son is now 2 and he also likes to help mommy in the kitchen.

Instead of doing at the counter, I generally move it to the table which is lower and less chance for a fall. I measure the ingredients and let them pour the ingredients into the mixing bowl. They can help hold the mixer or scrape the sides of the bowl. They also get to do a taste test (for brownies or cake they lick the beaters and bowl).

I let them each have a turn at rolling the dough, but I essentially do most of it. They get to put the cutters in and place on cookie sheet. I am the only one allowed to touch the oven. They get to help mix the colors for frosting and taste test it too. I keep wet wipes available to wash hands so I don't have to constantly run to the sink.

With BC frosting I generally let them use an offset spatula (sm) to frost the cookies in one color and then they can use sprinkles or what ever topping decoration we have on hand. Occasionally I will put in a decorators bad, twist and clamp off so the frosting doesn't come out the top. They like the star tips the best. I have not done colorflow with them.

Take lots of pictures, allow for twice or three times the amount of time it would take you to make and decorate, and have lots of fun! Then I let them each try one of their creations (even if it is before dinner) - yummy! I make sure to compliment them a ton and let EVERYONE know THEY made the cookies (not mommy). They beem with pride and love to tell their story of how they made them. They hae even called grandparents or e-mailed them pictures of the cookies/cakes they made.


Good Luck!

I don't have any children of my own (yet..) but one of my favorite childhood memories is baking sugar cookies with my Grandma and helping her decorate them at Christmas time. She would cover her kitchen table with newspaper or wax paper and mix up several different colors of royal icing and put them in bowls and put a plastic butterknife in each one. Then she would put out several different sugars and sprinkles etc and let me have at them. It was truly one of my favorite activities and yes it was very messy,I'm sure I licked many a plastic knife and fingers and probably a few cookies but it was oodles of fun.

We made Halloween cookies over the weekend with my 10 year old DD and my friend's 3 year old. Used the NFSC recipe and antonia74 RI. Both were great! They loved cutting them out more than icing I think. I put the icing in ziploc baggies and just cut the tip off so they could "flood" the cookies. Worked out fine. The 3 year old licked the icing off the same cookie several times, and had icing in her hair, but they had fun!

For those of you that use royal in the Wilton bottles, what is the easiest way to get the icing in the bottle? The opening seems fairly small to me.

I was a grade school teacher for 20 years, and a GS leader for 26 before I became a chef. I always taught the children from 4 on how to bake and cook. There are so many many things children that age can cook we've made out own butter, ground corn for corn muffins, made homemade peanut butter, the list goes on. Beside quality time with the children you are teaching basic math and science skills. Do you even know how many children do not know where the food they eat comes from before the store. Don't stress over the mess!

Haven't read the responses, but here's a possibility. You ice them in white, let harden overnight and give the kids Food Writers to color on them.

I have a bunch of these plastic squeeze bottles, I think i picked them up at a craft store... they look like this

http://www.kitchenfantasy.com/images/squeeze.jpg

and I just put the RI in them and let my girls have at it. They are 6 1/2 and 5 and do just fine.

My DS is two this year...we were planning on doing cookies this year and I "thought" RBC would be an easy cover-all and then let him decorate as he would want to. Only I have never made RBC so I was under the assumption it was easy and mess-free, like play-doh or MMF. Am I way off? Thanks to the OP for the thread, though because I have learned a lot. Thanks for all the tips, everyone! I am really looking forward to them this year (last year he wasn't so into it but made a few with colored sprinkles).

My grandkids have been helping me since they were 2 & 3. (now 4 & 5) They have so much fun but they take their job seriously. I taught them early on "no licking anything" until the job is done. They catch me doing it & correct me! They make the dough, roll & cut it & put in on the pan. I use bags & squirt bottles. If I use it they are welcome to try it too. They put sprinkles, frosting, glaze & fondant on the cookies.

They also love making things with MMF, make cakes & they make chocolate in molds too.
I give them Pop-Pop's t-shirts to wear& lay plastic tablecloths. While in does make a mess they are surprisingly neat when taught young.
**It also greatly helps to have dogs to keep the floor clean**

They also have been making salads, sandwiches & dinner. I give them plastic lettuce knives & they clean up any mess. They love to try new foods they make themselves. hey are always talking about working "in the Biz" with Gran'mare.
I have pictures of them on my site working as employees & some finished cookies on my About Us page. They think they are famous!

My now 17 month old grand-daughters(twins) have been helping me for months now, they dump & stir & even do a little rolling of dough. They stand on a chair next to me. I put different colored sugars, cereals & flour on their trays, assorted little cups & spoons, even bits of MMF (w/wheat flour mixed in to cut the sweetness).

When my kids were smaller we would decorate with thinned down powdered sugar icing that I had colored. I would buy some cheap plastic paint brushes, put one in each color and let them paint away. I was in charge of wiping the brushes and getting them back to the right color pot.

We started doing this will fall leaf cookies for their teachers. The wild mix of green, red, yellow, orange, and brown was just perfect for this. After the cookies were dry I would take some melted chocolate almond bark and pipe the veins and outlines. They were soooo pretty looking.

For the Christmas gingerbread men everyone had their own job. They all helped make the dough and cut out men. One did eyes, one did the nose, and two would do buttons of different raisins and candies. When they came out of the oven. They picked the one they liked best and I would give them a baggie of their own icing. They got to ice that one cookie and then eat it while I detailed and outlined the rest. They had great fun telling me to add glasses, pockets, hair bows, etc. as they iced, munched, and licked their icing bags.

Now that every one is older, they have fun making dough, cutting them out, and coloring and cutting out fondant for the tops.

It can be done. Just give them small tasks they can handle for right now. They'll grow up all too soon and be able to handle the bigger stuff.

I did the foodwriters wit hmy son's kindergarten class last year, and I'm not sure I would use them again. I made teapot and teacup cookies for a mothers day tea party, iced them white wit hroyal, and let them decorate with the pens. Everyone at the tea party had very brightly colored lips and fingers since the kids basically colored most of the cookie.

There are many ways to include kids in decorating all year. I often give my youngest a cookie or two and left over icing to decorate them with, I always use royal. Have sprinkles on hand and use simple shapes that are easy to identify like mittens, stockings, candy canes, etc.
If you don't like mess try covering the cookies in some sort of icing and let it dry and then hand them edible markers.

I like to do cookie houses with my kids, I'm thinking this year I'm going to try the 3d tree kit instead though. With a cookie house you just turn over the candy and icing after you put it together and then they get the fun of destroying something later.

Make sure you let your kids help cut out the cookies, my 4 year old loves doing that.

I find that it's best to let the kids do a small thing for themselves while I do the stuff for company and such. I like little pans for cakes, I can bake a small cake for each and let them go at it when I'm done with my project and they each have their own treat. I bought some old wilton pans on ebay that take 1/4-1/3 of a mix, here's one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Wilton-TRAIN-ENGINE-CAKE-PAN-MOLD-1975-Birthday-Jello_W0QQitemZ320164787091QQihZ011QQcategoryZ116002QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem. Wilton made a doll, train, bear and car, there also was a line of small Disney characters at about the same time. I bought a doll, car and the train. If you look around the stores you will probably find sets of very small pans that take maybe the amount of batter in 2-3 cupcakes for when you want smaller cakes for them.

Candy making is another project to try. Kids love the fancy molds and they don't cost much to buy, most are about $2. All you have to do is melt the candy and give them brushes to paint. Even really tiny kids can put lollypop sticks in the slots. I've taught my oldest to melt candy on his own and he can make plain candies for me when I'm lazy. It might even turn into a family thing, my father hates cooking (says it's woman's work) but he loves to make candy and buys his own molds.