Easy, Fun Recipes To Make At Home With Kids During Coronavirus Quarantine
One of the best life lessons you can teach your kids is how to make their own meals. Get them started in the kitchen young by having them measure out ingredients, mix things with their hands, roll up pigs in a blanket and burritos and pick their own toppings for their homemade pizzas and pinwheels. Most of these recipes take less than one hour to make and are fun ways to inspire a love of cooking.
Puppy Chow
Also known as muddy buddies, puppy chow is a childhood dessert you probably forgot existed. Revive this sweet treat by mixing it up with your little ones.
Perfect Pigs in a Blanket
Pigs in a blanket are one of the best party foods, and your kid can help assemble these bite-sized franks. Lay out the puff pastry and have your child roll the hot dog into its blanket. The end result, a dippable, savory dish, is as fun to eat as it is to make.
Cinnamon Toast
Cinnamon toast is a childhood breakfast you forgot existed. Bring it back by having your kid spread the butter and sprinkle the spices on the bread.
French Toast Sticks
These French toast sticks are among the best foods to make ahead and freeze, and your children will have a blast dipping bread into sweetened breadcrumbs and eggs to make this recipe.
Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs
These marshmallow crescent puffs are just one of the many recipes that won the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Your child will love rolling marshmallows in the dough and drizzling on the glaze when the pastries come out of the oven.
For the Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs recipe, click here.
Easy Turkey Meatballs
If your kids like to get their hands dirty, have them help mix together and roll out these easy turkey meatballs. Be sure to teach them the importance of handwashing after the fact too.
Rice Krispie Treats
What kid doesn't love marshmallows? Rice Krispie treats are a great way to get your kids' hands nice and sticky. If you don't have puffed rice cereal, you can swap it in for any favorite nostalgic cereal.
Pinwheels
Pinwheels are a vintage appetizer that needs to come back and the perfect snack to make alongside your kid. Lay out the tortillas and have your child spread the cream cheese and ranch mixture and layer on their choice of deli meat and cheese.
Cannoli Icebox Cake
Icebox cakes, those no-bake desserts, are vintage dishes nobody makes anymore — but should. Have your kid layer the cookies, whipped cream and chocolate for a fun hands-on dessert.
Buckeyes
Buckeyes are a regional dessert everyone needs to try. Recreate this Ohio treat at home with your kids, who will love rolling peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar together before dipping the confection in milk chocolate.
Mini Naan Pizzas
Allowing your kids to create their own pizzas with their favorite toppings is an easy way to get them involved in the kitchen. These mini naan pizzas might not technically be as good as the pies at America's best pizza joints, but when your loved ones have a hand in making them, they taste fantastic.
Snappy Turtle Cookies
Any kid obsessed with sea life will delight in these turtle-shaped cookies. When baking, they can help measure the dry ingredients and shape the cookies, and frosting cookies is fun for the young and young at heart.
Ants on a Log
Ants on a log easily ranks among the retro snacks you should bring back. This kid-friendly after-school snack is perfect for experimentation. Have your child spread cream cheese instead of peanut butter or top the celery with chocolate chips or dried cherries instead of raisins.
Mini Quiches
Out of all the ways to cook eggs, mini quiches are among the most fun and child-friendly. While the recipe calls for green chiles and chorizo, if your kid isn't adventurous, you can swap for bell pepper and breakfast sausage.
Peanut Butter Lovers Trail Mix
Measuring and mixing are simple lessons to teach children in the kitchen. This simple no-bake trail mix recipe will teach them both basics. Take this trail mix to go for a walk outdoors.
Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups
What can make cookies better? Ice cream. While this mini ice cream cookie cup dessert recipe has a few steps, your kids will have fun helping by pressing the cookie dough into muffin tins and dipping the cookie cups into chocolate and nuts.
Sourdough Sharing Bread
A quick, customizable dish, this sourdough sharing bread is a great way to have your child learn how to experiment with flavors, one of the many cooking tips we learned from our parents in the kitchen. You can cut the loaf and have your kid add in their favorite cheeses, cooked meats and savory toppings like green onions.
Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters
You may not want your kid to help bake an entire pie, but if your little one loves peanut butter, these pie crust cluster bites are perfect for them. After you bake the pie dough, have your child stir all of the remaining ingredients together and form the clusters.
Easy Seven-Layer Dip
Spreading refried beans, guacamole and cheese is the perfect task for a child to do to make a seven-layer dip. If your kid doesn't like tomatoes or black olives, swap those layers out for child-friendly ingredients like black beans. However, if they really love every ingredient in this, there are many other fantastic Tex-Mex recipes to try next.
Dirt Cake
If your kid is always outside trying to eat dirt, maybe steer them toward this chocolate recipe instead. Using chocolate cookies, instant pudding and cream cheese, this super sweet dessert is fun to mix together even for adults.
Chicken and Broccoli Pot Pies
These mini chicken pot pies use refrigerated biscuit dough, which your kid will love to press into a muffin tin. Top it off with some cheese, leftover chicken and broccoli, and you have a quick and easy dinner.
Snickerdoodles
As fun to say as they are to make, snickerdoodles are made almost entirely using pantry staples. Your kids will have fun assisting you in the kitchen as they roll the balls of dough in cinnamon and sugar.
Taco Roll-ups
A delicious dish you can make almost entirely out of cans, these easy taco roll-ups are great for getting your kids involved in the kitchen without even turning on the stove.
Funny Putty
Who said a recipe had to be something you eat? A great activity if you're spending more time at home with kids is crafting with them. Making this funny putty is a great way to do that, and it doubles as a fun science lesson.
Playtime Pasta
If you're looking for ways to keep your kids entertained while you work from home, make a batch of colorful playtime pasta with them during the evening. Then, during the day, they can make crafts like necklaces, art and even picture frames with their dyed noodles.
Rainbow Play Dough
Making homemade play dough so your kid has something to play with teaches them the science behind this popular toy and allows them to be creative, making this one of the best indoor activities for kids stuck at home.
For the Rainbow Play Dough recipe, click here.
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