KID'S COOKING PARTY
This birthday theme is a real kid's cooking party treat that will make the kids feel like Masterchef champions.
I'll warn you though that it can get a bit messy, but then that is all part of the fun!
One great thing about a kid's cooking party is that you don't need to spend too much time thinking about activities and games as the kids will be preparing, mixing, cooking, decorating...most of the time, so there won't be much time for anything else.
Top Tip: I would keep the numbers quite small unless you have a large space to cook in and can get some extra adult helpers.
KID'S COOKING PARTY INVITATIONS
- Write the kid's cooking party invitations on recipe cards that you can get very cheaply from stationery shops. Decorate with food stickers.
- Attach the recipe card invitation to a large wooden spoon and tie with a large red and white checkered bow. Or if you can get a big enough spoon, use a marker pen to write the details on the spoon itself.
- Make a template of a large chef's hat and cut out the invitations using strong white craft paper.
You could write something like this on the invites:
Recipe For a Finger Lickin' Cooking Party
Ingredients :
1 Special friend (name of guest)
1 cup of laughter
Large bag of fun
Pinch of imagination
Mix all together
and bring it to (name of child)
At the cafe (address)
Opening times: (time of event)
KID'S COSTUMES
Get the children to come to the kid's cooking party dressed in clothes that they don't mind getting a bit (or a lot!) messy.
Have lots of hair scrunchies available in order to tie back long hair. And how about giving each child a chef's hat when they arrive. You can buy some great Chef's Hats or you can have a go at making your own as you'll see in the video below.
KID'S DECORATIONS
- Think cafe style. Get a red and white checkered table cloth and put up red and white balloons and streamers.
- Menu du Jour. Get a big chalk board and write "Today's Menu" at the top followed by a list of what the chefs are going to prepare for that day.
- Recipe cards. Prepare individual recipe cards for each child or write the recipes on large poster sized sheets of paper and attach to the kitchen walls.
- Cafe sign. Make a big sign saying "Welcome to Skye's cafe"(or whoever the birthday child is) and place above your front door or gate.
- Cooking utensils. Make sure in advance that you have all the utensils and ingredients that you might need for your kid's cooking party. Create a special shelf/area in your kitchen which they can use. You don't want them rummaging around your kitchen cupboards!
- Cook's Table. Make sure that you have a big enough table or work area for them to use. Large folding tables are great for accommodating a large group. If you don't have one ask a friend or relative to borrow theirs. Cover with a cloth and place name cards around it so each child knows which is 'their space'.
- Got a small kitchen? Consider using another room for the preparation of the food or even using an outdoor space. Make sure that the floor is well protected from spills by putting down an old sheet. Chilled foods can be kept in a cooler and you can make a hand washing area using a large plastic bowl or bucket. Do change the water frequently though.
KID'S FOOD
What's always fun with a kid's cooking party, is that they get to eat what they make. This means that you have very little food preparation to do!
BUT......sometimes there are disasters so it is always a good idea to have some other edibles already prepared by you.
If the kids are mainly cooking sugary foods then have some more nutritious foods ready and vice versa. They will all nibble on the ingredients as they go along so you want to balance out the excess of sugar or salt.
I would cook what you are familiar with and comfortable with. The recipes should be easy and quick but give them room to decorate and personalise. Easy kid's cooking party food might include:
- Special Sundaes. Have lots of different flavor ice creams and toppings including sprinkles and syrups and let them have fun making their own special treat.
- Personalised Pizzas. Buy some ready made pizza dough which they can roll out and put their favorite toppings on.
- Biscuit Baking. Any dough or biscuit mix that involves rolling, shaping, stamping and cutting. Kids just love to use their hands.
- Cute Cup Cakes - always popular at a kid's cooking party.
KID'S COOKING ACTIVITIES
- Design an apron. This a great warm up activity whilst the guests are all arriving. Buy or make some white or colored aprons to hand out when they arrive or let them decorate their own apron. For this, get an old white sheet, cut into rectangles to fit round their waist and attach a couple of lengths of white ribbon for ties. Then allow them to decorate their apron with marker pens or fabric paint.
- Wooden spoon heads. Buy a stack of cheap wooden spoons of all sizes and give them lots of scraps, wool, paints, marker pens, glitter glue and so on and get them to make a spoon dolly.
- Behind the scenes. If you have time, see if you can persuade a local restaurant to let the kids have a look at what goes on in the kitchen. They may even let them make something if they are not busy.
- Napkin folding. Give the kids some simple napkin folding lessons and give a prize for the best one. This is something that I always look at when I go to a restaurant but then always forget how to do it when I home. It's much harder than you think!
KID'S GAMES
Click here for my big shopping list of Kid's Cooking Party Games, including Taste Testers, Hanging Donuts and Popcorn Relay.
KID'S FAVORS AND PRIZES
Favors and prizes could include items such as the following:
- Recipe card with a photo of each child's food creation plus the recipe details so they can make the dish at home
- Cookie and pastry cutters
- Mini Cupcake Kit
- Small cookery books
- Chef Costume
- Cooking utensils filled with candy. How about a ladle or measuring cup filled with candy and wrapped in cellophane and then tied with a pretty bow.