5 Tips for Baking with Your Kids
Baking with little ones can bring so much laughter and joy into your life — and quite a few well-worth-it messes into your kitchen. Creating and eating something together makes lasting memories — and it can also open up conversations about faith, liturgy, hospitality, and so much more. Who knew bread was such a powerful theological tool in our homes?
If you’re looking for ways to bring your kids into the kitchen next time you whip up a bread recipe, try these tips for a meaningful baking session!
1. Prep the ingredients together.
Pre-measuring ingredients, also known as mise en place, is a great way to prepare before mixing and baking begin. This step may be even more important with kids in the kitchen! Measuring what you’ll need beforehand can limit messes and mistakes, but it can also help them learn the value of preparedness, give them an important role to play, and perhaps even teach them a few math skills.
2. Model patience.
Baking is not a speedy process, especially if things need to prove or rise! This means it’s also a great opportunity to teach our kids — and remind ourselves — that good things often take time, and slow growth is just as admirable as whipping up something with immediate results. If your kids get bored during the waiting time, feel free to dismiss them until there’s something to “do” again, but know that these little lessons are being taken to heart.
3. Create your own table grace.
Eating meals offers an excellent way to introduce the rhythm of prayer to your children. If you haven’t already, consider creating your very own “table grace” as a family — words of thanks that you’ll repeat before you eat together. This practice can be silly, simple, and fun, but it will help your children practice the spiritual discipline of prayer, and the words you choose together will undoubtedly settle deep in their hearts over time.
4. Use your imagination.
Baking is an ancient tradition, one part sustenance and one part art. As you bake with your kids, consider what it must have been like for people before bread was readily available at the store. Imagine moms and grandmothers lovingly shaping dough that would feed their families. Consider all the people who have broken bread together throughout history. Ponder all the times bread is mentioned in the Bible — especially when it plays a part in pivotal stories about God and His people.
5. Practice Generosity
One of the best things about bread: it’s intrinsically shareable. From baking an extra loaf or sweet treat for a neighbor to sharing fresh-out-of-the-oven goodness with your own family around the table, bread brings us together. It also gives us a simple way to practice generosity through sharing the work of our hands.
Looking for a simple way to incorporate faith into your family baking time? I wrote Bake with the Bible just for you. In this digital download, you’ll find six lessons that offer a family-friendly way to dive deep into the meaning of bread in Scripture, in Christian tradition, and in history. Plus, you’ll bake delicious breads along the way, of course! Inside, you’ll discover tips for how to create a table grace for your family, stories from scripture about bread, and ways to practice generosity around the table.
