Kids in the Kitchen: Easy Valentine’s Day Treats to Make for Kids
Valentine’s Day is a great time to start getting kids involved in the kitchen. Children are naturally curious and always ready to lend a helping hand (especially when it involves making something tasty!). It is never too early to start teaching cooking skills that will last a lifetime.
Here are several ideas on how you and your child can work together to create fun Valentine’s Day treats.
1. Chocolate fondue bar.
All you need is a bag of milk chocolate and or white chocolate disks, a mini crockpot or fondue pot or even a stovetop.
How to make it
•Heat chocolate(s)
•When ready dip the following in and lay on wax paper to dry top with red, pink, and/or white sprinkles:
What to dip in chocolate
• Pretzel rods and mini pretzel sticks
• Marshmallows
• Oreo cookies
• Strawberries
How the kids can help
Your child can help to measure out the chocolate with measuring cups and pour it into the bowls. In addition, he or she can help to get the waxed paper sheets ready and can assist in adding the sprinkles!
2. Heart shaped pizzas
For this you will need a heart shaped cookie cutter, loaf of bread, 1 jar of pizza sauce, and 1 bag of mozzarella cheese.
How to make it
• Use the cookie cutter to cut slices of bread into heart shapes
• Spread the sauce on the heart slices and cover with mozzarella cheese
• Bake in the oven
How the kids can help
Your child can help to spoon out and spread the pizza sauce as well as to add the cheese.
3. 1 ingredient suckers
These fun lollipops require a bag of Jolly Ranchers, sucker sticks, and a heart-shaped silicone mold.
How to make it
• Pre heat oven to 300 degrees
• Put Jolly Ranchers in molds and bake for 5 minutes
• Place sucker sticks into mold and continue baking for 5 more minutes
• Let the suckers cool
How the kids can help
Your child can help to put the Jolly Ranchers into the molds. In addition, when the suckers have cooled he or she can help to pop them out of the molds and wrap them up.
4. Homemade snack mix
There are infinite ways to make this great treat, but this is our personal favorite for the holiday.
How to make it
• Goldfish crackers
• Mini marshmallows
• M&Ms (get the Valentines colors!)
• Mini pretzels
• Mix them together in a large Ziploc bag and send in for a Valentine treat
How the kids can help
Your child can help to measure out each ingredient with measuring cups and pour them into the Ziploc bag. Then he or she can help to shake the bag until it is thoroughly mixed.
5. Starburst Treats
This one only requires a bag of Starburst candy, a bag, and any extras you want to give it that Valentine’s style such as ribbon and a hand-written note.
How the kids can help
Your child can help to help to count out a certain number of Starbursts candy and put them into sandwich sized baggies.
