It’s that odd time between the holidays and the new year, where we’re scrambling to find activities to fill our time up. And with the extra slow pace of the holiday season this year, it can be tricky to find a fun activity to keep the kids entertained. Our suggestion? Try a new recipe together! It’s fun, and plus cooking a meal together helps boost well-being and confidence and it’s a great way to teach life skills like resilience and patience. 

Here are some extra special kitchen projects to try with your kids (with minimal stress + time needed):

Bake some bread! This year, bread-baking is trending. Especially sourdough bread. If you don’t have a sourdough starter or yeast, try this Cheddar and Rosemary Irish Soda Bread recipe. No yeast means no waiting around to eat your delicious bread. Or, for a sweeter bread, good ole’ banana bread. We like this recipe: Anna Banana Bread. 

Make your own hot chocolate bombs! This fun twist on hot chocolate has been growing in popularity everywhere ever since it went viral on TikTok! What is it exactly? It’s basically a hot chocolate mix with marshmallows + sprinkles inside a chocolate shell. Just place in a mug, pour hot milk on top and watch the “explosion”! Foodgressing is sharing the simple steps to make your own here. And if you’re not a fan of hot chocolate, you could skip the hot chocolate bomb and give this homemade holiday egg-nog a try (this recipe is kid-friendly too!). 

Set up a DIY meal! We love DIY meals because it’s a way to get everyone involved in the meal creation process. Plus everyone can pick and choose ingredients to their liking. Besides the usual build-your-own tacos or pizza, there are so many unique ideas to try this break! Start off the morning with an Oatmeal Buffet like this, or gather the ingredients and make this beautiful Brunch Board from recipe-creator Kaylesha Penner, or this Family-Style Charcuterie Sandwich Board for lunch from our dear friend Christina Chandra. The combinations and flavours are endless!   

We know trying to get your kids more involved in cooking can take a little planning - but you might just be surprised to see what kids can do beyond just stirring and pouring, and all the kitchen skills they’re willing to learn. As a handy guide, we’ve created this list of 33 tasks kids can do in the kitchen (based on experience, not age). 

And if you’re looking for other meal ideas, we’ve got plenty of others to choose from in our archives. Don’t forget to join our communities on Facebook and Instagram for more inspiration. 

Thank you to everyone who's followed along with us this year! While a lot has changed this year, our mission hasn't. We're committed to helping families across BC to connect in the kitchen and over a meal.  We hope that you've found our blog posts, recipes, tips + tricks, helpful and supportive. And we look forward to continuing getting to know our beloved community in 2021!