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Kid-Friendly Challenge to Build Self-Awareness in the Kitchen

Self-awareness helps kids understand who they are and how they might be similar to or different from others. It helps us understand our motivations, our inspirations, and attitudes. Knowing these things about ourselves can help kids and adults find success in the kitchen and beyond.

Hey there, families! Are you ready for a fun challenge that will help your kids grow their awareness of their skills? Being aware helps students improve efficiency in the kitchen, identify their talents and skills, and better achieve their goals. This game is perfect to add to fun activities for homeschool parents or to play after school or on a rainy day. Let’s get to it! Materials Needed:
  • Easy-to-follow recipe (i.e. sandwiches, salads, parfaits)
  • Ingredients
  • Kitchen utensils
  • Timer or stopwatch
  Directions:
  1. Assign Tasks: Break down the recipe into specific tasks and assign each task to a different family member at random. For example, if the recipe is a parfait, one person can be assigned to slice fruit while another is assigned to layering ingredients.
  2. Set the Timer: Let’s see how fast you can go! Start the timer and begin making the recipe. Complete your tasks as assigned as quickly as possible, and try to finish the recipe in the shortest amount of time.
  3. Reflect: After completing the recipe, discuss strengths and weaknesses. Allow each person to address their own strengths that they noticed or that they are aware of from experience. Then give each person a chance to address where they feel less effective or need to improve.
  4. Round Two: Now it's time for round two! This time, instead of assigning the tasks at random, use insights from the above step to divide the recipe tasks based on each team member's strengths and weaknesses. For example, if one person is a pro at slicing fruit but struggles with measuring ingredients, assign tasks accordingly. Do your best to play to each player’s strengths and aim to beat your previous time from the first round! Did self-awareness help make your family more efficient in the kitchen? Think about what else it can do for you!
  By taking part in this Kitchen Awareness Challenge, kids can evaluate gaps in their cooking and baking skills to know where they want to grow and learn. They’ll also develop self-awareness and teamwork abilities to carry with them into other activities in the kitchen, school, and home! For more self-evaluating, try our “My Feel Good Journal” activity for kids, perfect to add to any homeschool curriculum!   Looking for more challenging baking sets for kids? Try our Duff’s Spritz Cookies Kit! Shop more baking sets for kids here.

Frequently asked questions

What do you put in a kids pretzel baking kit?

No recipe card or pre-measured ingredients that are placed inside any of our baking kit call for or include nuts of any kind. But some of these ingredients have been produced in a facility that also processes nuts, soy, sesame seeds, and gluten. So it's very possible that trace amounts of these potential allergens may be found in some of our baking kit ingredients.

Why should I use a pretzel baking kit?

No recipe card or pre-measured ingredients that are placed inside any of our baking kit call for or include nuts of any kind. But some of these ingredients have been produced in a facility that also processes nuts, soy, sesame seeds, and gluten. So it's very possible that trace amounts of these potential allergens may be found in some of our baking kit ingredients.

Are your pretzel baking kits kosher?

No recipe card or pre-measured ingredients that are placed inside any of our baking kit call for or include nuts of any kind. But some of these ingredients have been produced in a facility that also processes nuts, soy, sesame seeds, and gluten. So it's very possible that trace amounts of these potential allergens may be found in some of our baking kit ingredients.

Do your pretzel baking kits include nuts?

No recipe card or pre-measured ingredients that are placed inside any of our baking kit call for or include nuts of any kind. But some of these ingredients have been produced in a facility that also processes nuts, soy, sesame seeds, and gluten. So it's very possible that trace amounts of these potential allergens may be found in some of our baking kit ingredients.

What equipment do I need for a pretzel baking kit?

No recipe card or pre-measured ingredients that are placed inside any of our baking kit call for or include nuts of any kind. But some of these ingredients have been produced in a facility that also processes nuts, soy, sesame seeds, and gluten. So it's very possible that trace amounts of these potential allergens may be found in some of our baking kit ingredients.

Can I send a pretzel baking kit as a gift?

No recipe card or pre-measured ingredients that are placed inside any of our baking kit call for or include nuts of any kind. But some of these ingredients have been produced in a facility that also processes nuts, soy, sesame seeds, and gluten. So it's very possible that trace amounts of these potential allergens may be found in some of our baking kit ingredients.

What age should a child start cooking?

No recipe card or pre-measured ingredients that are placed inside any of our baking kit call for or include nuts of any kind. But some of these ingredients have been produced in a facility that also processes nuts, soy, sesame seeds, and gluten. So it's very possible that trace amounts of these potential allergens may be found in some of our baking kit ingredients.

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