Fun Food Craft Recipes for Kids

Is it a food or a craft? It's both! Food craft recipes are a wonderful way to get kids cooking and enjoying a wide variety of food at a young age.  Cooking with children has many benefits: it helps them explore their creativity, can expose them to math concepts like fractions, measuring, and adding, it builds their vocabulary and language skills, introduces science concepts, and they can learn how to create a balanced meal. It also provides the opportunity to be creative! When kids create something that looks good and tastes good, that other people are excited about, it's a huge confidence booster. Kids as young as 18 months can start helping in the kitchen.

Creating food crafts also provides kids with sensory opportunities. They can squish their fingers in frosting, taste spices and determine if they're savory or sweet, learn which things go together and smell something delicious that they've made. For families with picky kids, this means the kids are trying new foods. Many children who are reluctant to try new things will be more likely to eat something they've had a hand in creating. Putting together fun food craft recipes is also a wonderful way for parents and children to spend time together. It's engaging, healthy and relaxing for the parents and the kids.

To make the recipes go well, make sure to have all the ingredients on hand before beginning. Remember that patience is very important because children are being encouraged to create, experiment, and even play with their food! It's time to set aside the inner critic so kids can learn from the experience. When everything is finished, include the kids in cleanup.

• Easy Pancake Muffins: Make these from scratch or use pancake mix, then and add your own toppings. They even freeze well.
• Rainbow Waffles: Taste the rainbow with this fun spin on waffles for Saint Patty's Day, or any day that needs some color.

• Snowman Pizza: These cute little snowmen could also be a nice snack. Perfect for any time of year, kids can put their favorite toppings on them.
• Rainbow Pasta: This colorful pasta can be eaten or played with.

• Strawberry Mice: Cute little strawberry mice and cheese. Who would turn this snack down?
• Animal Faces Toast: Use a favorite nut or seed butter, cream cheese, and fruit slices to create these adorable animal faces, perfect for an after-school snack or even a lunchtime surprise.
• Rainbow Bread (or Toast): Simply use sugar and food coloring to create an edible paint to decorate bread with.
• Variations of Ants on a Log: Fun twists on an old snack, these ideas are perfect for kids with peanut allergies who hate raisins or who just want to mix things up a bit.
• Edible Jewelry: Unlike candy bracelets, this recipe uses fresh or dried fruit and cereal. Simply string the food together to create a healthy snack on the go.
• Butterfly Pretzels: Create chocolate covered pretzels shaped like butterflies and decorate them, too. They're perfect as a side for a lunch, an afternoon snack, or parties.
• Veggie Bugs: Create dragonflies, snails and ladybugs out of veggies. These are great for kids who are picky eaters to have fun with their food and try something new.
• Yogurt Cake: This simple recipe is specifically created so that even very young kids can do almost all of it themselves and still end up with a good-tasting cake.

• Marshmallow Slime: It's sticky, squishy, and stretchy. It's messy, but it's yummy.
• Rice Krispies Treat Monsters: These little chocolate-y monsters are almost too adorable for words - and they taste just as good as they look.
• Graveyard Dirt Cake Cups: This a spooky and fun twist on the old dirt and worms Oreo dessert.
• Edible Candy Mosaic: Create beautiful candy pictures using graham crackers or gingerbread, frosting, and favorite small candies.
• Rock Candy: Budding scientists will love this combination of science and sweet treat.
• Caramel Apples: This old classic never goes stale. It's always fun and delicious. You can make it easier to eat little hands and little mouths, cut the apples into slices before dipping and adding toppings.
• Jell-o Shark Aquariums: Kids who love the ocean or fish will go absolutely gaga over this fun and adorable dessert.
• Campfire Cookies: These sweet cookies will remind kids of campfires, camping and cooking s'mores.
• Candy Necklaces: This not-so-healthy version of the snack necklace uses candy and sweet cereals with holes to create a fun dessert necklace. Gather some peach rings, fruit loops, lifesavers, Twizzlers, pretzel rings, or anything tasty that loops.