Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Christmas Cookies
- StageEarly Years
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Christmas Cookies is a free printable baking resource to keep little ones and family members busy over the Christmas period. It gives children and grown ups a shared, hands on activity in the kitchen, with plenty of room for helping, choosing and decorating.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company. Look through the sheet together before you start, so everyone knows what the plan is and which jobs belong to the grown up.
What is on the sheet
Christmas Cookies is a baking resource for the Christmas period, made for families to enjoy together. Use it as the starting point for a baking session at home or in a group. Children can take part in the safe jobs, such as helping to measure, mixing, shaping and decorating once the cookies have cooled. A grown up leads anything that involves the oven, hot trays or sharp tools.
Getting ready to bake
Clear a space
Wipe down a table or worktop and put out everything you need before you begin. Roll up sleeves, tie back long hair and put on an apron. Children cope better when the space is tidy and the tools are close by.
Wash hands first
Everyone who is helping washes their hands with soap and water before touching ingredients. Wash again after touching anything that is not food, such as a phone or a pet.
Check ingredients and allergies
Read the labels on everything you use. Ask every person who will eat the cookies about allergies and dietary needs. This matters most when you are sharing cookies with friends, classmates or neighbours.
Share out the jobs
Decide who does what before you start. Children can take turns with measuring, stirring and decorating. The grown up takes the oven, the hot trays and any sharp tools. Knowing the plan avoids arguments.
Why bake at Christmas?
Baking is a tradition in many homes at Christmas. Families make biscuits, gingerbread and mince pies to share with visitors, give as gifts or enjoy after a cold walk. Children often remember the smell of baking and the feeling of helping long after the day has passed. It is a simple way to make ordinary time at home feel special.
A baking session also gives children real practice with everyday skills. They follow instructions in order, handle tools, wait for results and see ingredients change. Measuring links to maths, and shaping and decorating link to design. Best of all, children get to make something that other people can enjoy, which builds pride and confidence.
Adults do the dangerous parts. A grown up handles the oven, hot trays, hot cookies and any knives or sharp tools. Keep children well away while these are in use. Do not eat raw dough. Wash hands before and after handling ingredients, and check every label for allergies before sharing.
Baking facts
- Heat in an oven changes soft dough into firm cookies.
- Many biscuit and cookie recipes use flour, butter and sugar.
- Many cookies are soft when they come out of the oven and become firmer as they cool.
- A cookie cutter cuts dough into a shape, such as a star or a tree.
Skills and curriculum link
- Following instructions
- Measuring
- Fine motor skills
- Putting steps in order
- Creativity
- Teamwork
Ideas for grown ups
- Talk about the orderBefore you begin, ask your child what happens first, next and last. Saying the order aloud helps them follow it and builds a habit of planning.
- Let them measureHand over the spoons and scales for the jobs that are safe for them. Ask them to say what they are measuring and why it matters to get it right.
- Choose safe jobsMatch jobs to your child's age and confidence. Stirring, pressing cutters and decorating cooled cookies are good places to start.
- Be ready for messFlour and icing go everywhere. Accept some mess and have a cloth ready. Children learn more when they are relaxed and allowed to join in.
Key words
- IngredientOne of the foods you mix together to make a recipe.
- DoughA soft mixture that can be shaped, rolled and cut before it is baked.
- BakeTo cook food with dry heat in an oven. A grown up does this part.
- Cookie cutterA tool that cuts dough into a shape, such as a star or a tree.
- CoolTo let something hot lose its heat so that it is safe to touch and eat.
- DecorateTo add colour or small details to make something look special.
How to use it
- Look through the sheet together before you start. Talk about what you will make and who will do which job.
- Wash hands, clear a space and put out the tools and ingredients. Check labels and ask about allergies.
- Let your child help with the safe jobs, such as measuring, mixing and shaping. A grown up does the oven and any hot or sharp parts.
- Leave the cookies to cool fully before anyone decorates or tastes them. Use the wait to tidy up together.
- Talk about what went well and what you would change next time. Then share your cookies, or make a few more another day.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Give your child one small job at a time and show them first. Let them do the measuring or pressing of cutters while you handle the rest. Say each step aloud as you go, and praise effort rather than how neat the result looks.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to plan a batch for a small group. They could decide how many cookies each person gets, design the decorations on paper first, and then explain their plan. Let them lead the order of jobs while a grown up keeps oven work safe.
Make it a game
Play cookie designers. Each person draws a Christmas cookie design on paper using only three colours. Swap drawings, then try to describe the other person's design so clearly that someone could copy it. Decorate real cookies afterwards if you like.
Talk about it
- What is your favourite part of baking, and why?
- Which job do you think matters most to get right?
- How do you think the dough will change in the oven?
- What shapes or decorations would you choose for a Christmas cookie?
- Who would you like to share your cookies with, and why?
- What would you do differently next time?
Take it off the page
Paper cookie designs
Draw large round or star shaped cookies on paper. Design icing patterns with crayons or pencils, then cut them out and display them like a cookie shop window.
Cookie shop role play
Set up a pretend shop with paper cookies and play money. Take turns to be the shopkeeper and the customer. Practise counting, adding and saying please and thank you.
Shape hunt
Walk around your home or classroom and look for stars, circles, trees and other cookie shapes. Draw the ones you find and say which one you would use as a cutter.
Who it is for
Parents
Set aside a calm time and expect some mess. Let your child have real jobs, and keep the oven and hot items for yourself. Enjoy the time together. It matters more than perfect cookies.
Teachers
Use it as a festive activity that links to the cooking and nutrition strand of Design and Technology, and to measurement in maths. Check your school's food and allergy policy first, and keep all oven work with adults.
Home educators
Baking suits a home education day as a shared project. Let children help plan, prepare and tidy as well as decorate. Talk through each step, and use the session to link practical skills to measuring, reading and following instructions.
Where this fits in
Before baking cookies, children benefit from simple kitchen experiences. These include washing hands, helping to stir, talking about ingredients and following a short set of spoken instructions. Small jobs like these build confidence and good habits around food.
Afterwards, children can try other recipes, take on more of the measuring and planning, and begin to read recipes for themselves. Over time they can link baking to maths, such as weighing and comparing amounts, and to design, such as planning how food will look.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- Is Christmas Cookies free?
Yes. It is a free baking resource from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London. It is made to keep little ones and family members busy over the Christmas period.
- What age is it for?
The sheet does not give an age. Baking can suit a wide range of children when a grown up chooses jobs to match their age and confidence. Always keep the oven and hot items with an adult.
- How long does it take?
No time is given for this sheet. Plan for preparing, mixing, baking, cooling and decorating. Cookies must cool before decorating, so allow a relaxed session and do not rush the steps.
- Who handles the oven?
A grown up does all the oven work, including hot trays and hot cookies. Children can help with safe jobs such as measuring, mixing and decorating cooled cookies, away from anything hot or sharp.
- What about allergies?
Check every label and ask everyone who will eat the cookies about allergies and dietary needs before you begin. This matters most when sharing with friends or a class. If you are unsure, leave the ingredient out.
- Can children eat the raw dough?
No. Do not eat raw dough. Cookies should be fully baked and cooled before anyone tastes them. Wash hands after handling dough and ingredients, and clean the surfaces you have used.
- Can I use it in a classroom?
It can work as a festive baking session, but check your school's food and allergy policy first. Adults should do all oven work. It links to cooking and nutrition in Design and Technology and to measurement in maths.
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.