Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Christmas Baking Recipes
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Christmas Baking Recipes is a free printable sheet of Christmas recipes for families to read and bake together. It goes through some of Jaques's favourite recipes for tasty treats and smiling faces. Page 2 is for the grown up. It has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard and a stretch idea.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children and their grown ups read through some of Jaques's favourite Christmas recipes for tasty treats. Reading a recipe closely is the first job. Children notice what is needed, what happens first and what comes next. Then the family can choose a recipe and bake it together, with children helping at every safe stage and an adult doing the rest.
Getting ready to bake
Read the whole recipe first
Read from top to bottom before touching anything. Ask your child what they think will happen first, and what will happen last.
Wash hands and clear the space
Wash hands with soap and tie back long hair. Wipe the work surface and put out a bowl, spoon and scales.
Gather and measure
Collect every ingredient before you start. Children can weigh and pour, and tick each item off as it goes in.
Share the jobs
Children can stir, mix, press and decorate cooled bakes. An adult does the oven, hot trays, knives and anything hot.
Why bake at Christmas?
Many families in England bake at Christmas. Some make treats to eat at home, some to share with friends and neighbours, and some to give as gifts. Baking gives children a clear job in the festive season. It also gives the whole family something to do together that is not on a screen, and children are often proud to see their own work on the table.
A recipe is a useful kind of text. It lists the ingredients first, then gives a method to follow in order. Quantities are usually given in grams, millilitres or spoonfuls, so baking is real practice in reading, measuring and sequencing. Children see that a careful order and accurate amounts change how the finished bake turns out.
Adults do the dangerous part of baking. That means the oven, hot trays, hot tins, boiling water, hobs and sharp knives. Children should stay clear while these are in use. Check for allergies before you start, and wash hands before and after handling ingredients.
Baking facts to share
- Flour is made by grinding grains. Wheat is the grain most often used for plain flour.
- Butter is made from cream.
- Heat in an oven changes a soft mixture into something firmer.
- Baking trays and tins get very hot, so cooks use oven gloves.
- A recipe lists the ingredients first, then the method.
Skills and curriculum link
- Reading instructions
- Following steps in order
- Measuring
- Teamwork
- Kitchen hygiene
- Fine motor skills
Ideas to talk about while baking
- IngredientsIngredients are the foods that go into a bake. Ask your child to point to each one on the list as it goes into the bowl.
- Order mattersA method works in a set order. Ask what might go wrong if the steps were mixed up.
- MeasuringRecipes use exact amounts. Let your child read the scales or the jug and say what they see.
- ChangesMixtures can look and feel different once they are mixed, rested or baked. Ask your child to describe each change in their own words.
Key words
- IngredientOne of the foods that goes into a recipe.
- MethodThe steps of a recipe, in the order you do them.
- WeighFind out how heavy something is, using scales.
- PreheatHeat the oven to the right temperature before the food goes in. An adult does this.
- CoolLeave a bake until it is no longer hot. Cool it before decorating or eating.
- DecorateAdd finishing touches to a bake, such as icing or sprinkles.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has notes, help and a stretch idea.
- Read the recipes together. Ask your child which one they would like to make and why.
- Read the chosen recipe all the way through. Gather the ingredients and tools, and check for allergies.
- Bake together. Children measure, mix and decorate once cool. An adult handles the oven, hot items and knives.
- Taste and talk. Ask what went well and what you would change next time.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Read the recipe aloud together and point to each line as you go. Tick off each ingredient as it goes in. Give your child one small job at a time, such as stirring or pouring, so the whole recipe does not feel too much.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to be the head chef. They read each step aloud, check the ingredients, and tell the adult what to do next. Afterwards they write or draw their own short recipe for a favourite Christmas treat.
Make it a game
Play recipe detectives. Read one step aloud, but get a part wrong on purpose. Your child listens and spots the mistake. Swap roles. Or cut the steps into strips and race to put them back in order.
Talk about it
- Which recipe looks the tastiest, and what makes you think so?
- What do you think will happen to the mixture in the oven?
- Why do we read the whole recipe before we start?
- Which job do you most want to do, and which is for a grown up?
- Who would you like to share your baking with?
- What would you change if we made it again?
Take it off the page
Design a treat box
Draw a box to hold your finished bakes. Add a name, a pattern and a message for the person who will open it.
Pretend bakery
Set up a toy shop with play dough or paper treats. Take orders, write a price list and count out the treats.
Recipe book
Collect your family's favourite festive recipes on paper. Children illustrate each page and keep it in a folder.
Who it is for
Parents
Choose a recipe together and let your child lead the reading. Give them the safe jobs, such as measuring and stirring, and keep the oven and hot items for yourself. Enjoy the mess, and keep the focus on doing it together.
Teachers
Use it as a reading task for instructions, a starting point for a cooking and nutrition lesson, or a Christmas week activity. Check allergies and school food rules first. Adults must handle all ovens, hot items and sharp tools.
Home educators
Baking fits easily into a home education week. It covers reading, measuring and following a method, and links to the cooking and nutrition strand of design and technology. Let children keep a baking diary with notes and drawings.
Where baking fits in
Before baking from a recipe, children benefit from handling kitchen words, measuring with spoons and jugs, and helping with simple jobs such as washing fruit or stirring cold mixtures. Reading short instructions with pictures is also good preparation.
After this sheet, children can move on to reading a recipe on their own, adjusting amounts for more people, and comparing different recipes. They can also plan and write their own instructions for something they have made, which builds both reading and writing.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- Is this sheet free to print?
Yes. It is part of the Mini Minds Hub from Jaques of London and is free to print at home or in school. Print both pages. Page 1 is for children and page 2 is for the grown up.
- Who is Christmas Baking Recipes for?
It is for families, teachers and home educators who want to bake festive treats with children. Younger children need an adult to read and help. Older children can read the recipes themselves, and adults still need to do the dangerous parts.
- Can children use the oven?
No. Adults handle the oven, hot trays and tins, hobs, boiling water and knives. Children can help with safe jobs such as measuring, stirring cold mixtures and decorating bakes once they have cooled.
- How long does it take?
It depends on the recipe you choose and how much your child helps. Read the method before you start, so you know what is involved and can plan your time.
- What do children learn from baking?
They practise reading instructions, following steps in order, measuring and working with others. Baking also builds fine motor skills and confidence in the kitchen. It links to the cooking and nutrition strand of design and technology.
- What if someone has an allergy?
Check every ingredient label before you begin, and swap ingredients only if you are sure they are safe for everyone eating. If you are not sure, choose a different recipe. Wash hands and surfaces well.
- What do I do with page 2?
Keep page 2 for the grown up. It has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard and a stretch idea. Use it to guide the session without taking over.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.