Kids love hands on learning! The best way to teach the alphabet recognition? Baking your way through the alphabet. When each of my kids is around 3 we start learning about how to recognize letters. We take it one letter at a time and focus on the letter of the week. We do art projects with that letter, read books that begin with that letter, eat foods with that letter, visit places that begin with that letter, and so forth. Well, with my daughter we decided to switch it up. She loves to bake and help in the kitchen. Last year at Thanksgiving she insisted she had to help with everything. And that’s how this idea was born. Her love for baking and my love for spending time with her. It was fun to pick different recipes from A to Z. We tried to pick recipes that kids can help with because we know they learn from doing. And how can you not be excited about letters when you are making yummy treats every week? Disclaimer: technically not all these recipes require baking, but I promise you won’t mind after trying them.
A is for Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Muffins are a perfect treat to make with young children. They can line the pan with muffin wrappers, pour ingredients, help stir (or turn on your kitchenaid), and I like to use this scoop to help my muffins be the same size. And this recipe uses whole wheat flour! It’s simply amazing.
B is for Banana Bread
I know we are just making another sweet bread, in a different form. But this recipe is so good! And kids love squishing bananas. I love using this tool to get the right consistency. Again kids can help pour ingredients and stir.
C is for Crepes
I know “C” can be for cookies, cinnamon rolls, cream puffs, cupcakes, or cobbler, but we decided to go for crepes. We wanted to switch it up a bit. I let my girl pour ingredients, turn on our food processor, and slice strawberries while I use the stove to cook our crepes. We have a little paring knife and she does it with supervision. But I think kids can handle those kind of things, if we give them instructions. (of course each kid is different) But all kids are capable of spreading Nutella, so they are going to be excited about this recipe.
D is for Donut
My daughter was so excited about this one! We got this donut pan and she kept asking when it would be D week. She loved making these donuts. In addition to adding ingredients and stirring, I also let her pipe the batter into the pan. We always count our eggs as we add them (more for me than her) and she sometimes gets to crack them herself. Sometimes I give her a bowl of her own and then we can pour them into our mixing bowl. It’s easier to remove shells that way. And you are going to want to click over to see how cute she looks waiting for them to come out. This recipe is so light and refreshing!
E is for Energy Bites
This recipe is no bake so it’s perfect for little kids. And it’s a great healthy snack. Just combine the ingredients and roll into balls. I love using this scoop to keep the balls similar in shape. This recipe should last you all week.
F is for Funnel Cake
My family loved this recipe. But warning, it makes a lot of funnel cake. So we decided to invite some friends over to help us. Your kid can mix the ingredients and you can fry them up. It doesn’t take long. And then ask your kid to sprinkle them with powder sugar. I like using this tool when dusting with powdered sugar.It’s perfect for children. And this recipe is so much cheaper than going to a local fair.
G is for Granola
This recipe is so easy you are going to keep making it over and over again. And I love that this one is healthy. Simply mix the ingredients and bake. This recipe can be gluten free as well. You can eat it all week with yogurt, on your cereal, or with ice cream.
H is for Honey Butter Popcorn
Our family loves to make popcorn! And with a simple air pop machine you can have a tasty treat within minutes. You can let your child pour in the kernals with this recipe. My kids love to watch the popcorn pour out. And since you are only combining the ingredients over the stove they can help you. This simple recipe is sweet with just a little bit of salt.
I is for Ice Cream
This recipe is simple enough if you have an ice cream maker. And my kids loved the flavor of churro ice cream. I originally had a ice cream maker from our local thrift shop. But my hubby got me the kitchenaid attachment and it’s amazing! But if you don’t have one yet you can make this ice cream in a bag recipe. Either recipe is easy for kids to help. My girl loves watching the ice cream churn. And she insists on licking the attachment.
J is for Jelly Donuts
I know we already have donuts on our list but our kids love these. These donuts require some frying but the kids can mix the glaze. They can also help fill the donuts and pour on the glaze. Plus this recipe goes hand and hand with the cutest little book Jampires. It’s what inspired the recipe. And personally we like Strawberry Jam. And you could just make jam for the letter j. But that recipe is a bit longer and requires more stove time.
K is for Kiwi Popsicle
This recipe is super easy! Just add fruit and coconut water in your blender and then pour in a Popsicle mold. The hard part is going to be waiting for them to freeze.
L is for Lego Gummies
This recipe is so much fun to make. It does require you to pour a hot liquid into adorable Lego molds. And though your kids probably should help with that part, they will have a blast playing with these adorable Lego Gummies. My kids couldn’t get enough of them when we made our homemade valentines last February.
M is for Marshmallow Popcorn
I picked this recipe because it’s one of my favorite! Seriously the best. I made this 7 years ago and I haven’t found a better popcorn recipe since. It’s easy and so delicious. Again the kids can help with the popcorn as I like to use an air popper. The rest of the ingredients you can make with the microwave and then pour over the popcorn. I would suggest watching a movie while eating this. And since Moana starts with the letter’ M’ I think it would be perfect.
N is for Nutella Butter Bars
This recipe is seriously amazing. And if you have any Nutella left from your crepes you are going to want to make this. Kids can combine and mix ingredients and spread the nutella. The last step is crumbling the remaining dough on top. If your kids are like my daughter they might sneak some in their mouths. That’s when I make them wash their hands again.
O is for Oreo Truffles
This recipe is kid friendly and so delicious. Kids can help roll the truffles into balls. I like to use this scoop first and then have them help round them out. They can also help dip them in chocolate. When I am making these for parties I usually prefer to dip them so they look nicer. But our objective here is to spend time and teach our kids about the letter O. And since they will taste amazing either way go ahead and let them help.
P is for Poppyseed Bread with Citrus Glaze
At Christmas a friend brought by this amazing bread as a gift. I am pretty sure I ate it all in one sitting. In my defense it was a mini loaf. Then the amazing Anne Cropper posted on Instagram this exact recipe and it’s like she was reading my mind. This bread is so simple to make you kids are going to feel very confident in the kitchen. And one of my favorite things about baking my way through the alphabet? When Georgiana’s big brothers thank her for making such awesome treats.
Q is for Queen of Hearts Tarts
This recipe is so fun because you get to make these adorable tarts! I found these tart pans and fell in love. Kids can spread out the crust in the pan, whip up the filling, and place the strawberries on top. I like to cut them into heart shapes to make it more festive. There are so many queens you can talk about as you make these yummy tarts.
R is for Root Beer Float Pops
I made these treats back in 2011. They are still a favorite. You kids will love making their own Popsicles with soda. They taste just like those Root Beer Popsicles with ice cream in the middle. These treats require some layering and a little more mixing, but I am sure they will be up for the challenge.
S is for Scones
These scones are similar to the delicious scones in England. Since my hubby and I are mostly from English descent I love sharing recipes our ancestors might have enjoyed. And luckily for me I have a witty and fabulous BFF who is from England and taught me all about lemon curd, clotted cream, and scones. This recipe is simple and easy to have your kids help. But you may want to enjoy them while being extra fancy with nice china and yummy jam. Those are the kind of things that make life special.
T is for Toasted Coconut Cream Pie
If you are intimidated by making a pie, don’t be. My girl Caroline is the Queen of Pie. Her pie crust recipe is out of this world, and I promise not hard. She even has videos to help with your pie crimps. And not to brag but my daughter is a natural. We made a pie for Pi Day and she totally remembered from the previous Thanksgiving. This recipe is going to take a little more time but trust me it’s worth it!
U if for Unicorn Bars
This might just be your kids favorite recipe to make. Who doesn’t love unicorns? This recipe has them helping with the basics, pouring, stirring, and spreading. And they can work on frosting with beautiful swirls. Oh, and they are going to want to help with adding more sprinkles. And when the bars are baking I would suggest reading the most adorable unicorn book ever, Uni the Unicorn. It’s about a unicorn who just knows little girls exist. My daughter loves it!
V is for Vanilla Almond Pound Cake
I am a sucker for anything with almond flavoring. And this recipe is even tastier with Vanilla and Pound Cake flavors. One favorite baking memory I have with my daughter is when I was using stoneware and she was so concerned that I didn’t spray it with Pam. I told her that’s the beauty of stoneware. And just a reminder that our kids are watching and learning from what we do. You might want to make some small loaves and also visit someone who could use some love.
W is for Wookie Cookies
In case you aren’t familiar with Wookies, you might recognize the most famous wookie, Chewbacca. These cookies are no bake and no problem to make. And watching Star Wars might be a great idea too!
X is for X marks the Spot Soft Pretzels
This soft pretzel recipe is an easy one. And your kids can use those play dough skills by rolling the dough into snakes. After I cut our ‘snakes’ into strips Georgiana loved making her own little X with the pretzel dough. I don’t know a better way to help them learn their letters than making the letter with materials. Though eating a letter might just be great too.
Y is for Yogurt Bark
This kid friendly recipe is simple and healthy. But don’t tell them. I’m sure they will think it’s like dessert.
Z is for Zebra Pretzels
Speaking of pretzels, my kids love when we can decorate pretzels with chocolate. It’s such an easy treat to make. We melt our chocolate in the microwave. And my kids love drizzling the chocolate all over. Again you have to wait for them to set before eating them. But like most things in life, it’s worth waiting for.
Thanks for making it through this post. Probably one of my favorite things about spending time in the kitchen is teaching and talking. Little lessons like having patience come a little more naturally when you can show your kids things are worth the wait. Teaching our kids life skills such as cooking will bless them throughout their lives. And most important when we spend time together, teaching and talking, our children naturally open up and tell us all the little treasure that lay in their hearts. And as important as the alphabet is, even more important is that I foster and nurture a relationship with each of my children. I hope these recipe ideas help bless your family. And if you get a busy week, which we always do, give yourself some grace and try again the next week. Or maybe life is crazy and you decide you are going to buy ice cream instead of make it. That’s okay. It takes time to raise children. As parents we just give our best.
Teaching our kids to recognize their letters is one of the first steps for teaching them how to read. A love reading is one of the best things we can give our kids. And it’s good to remember that children learn best by playing and having fun. Don’t be discouraged if your child isn’t recognizing their letter right away. Keep teaching and keep having fun. So many kids learn at different rates and in different ways. Check out my Pinterest Board Kid Activities for more ideas on teaching young children. And you can find tips on raising readers here.
You can pin this post so you know where to find all 26 recipes. I’m sure they will become family favorites in your home too! Share below your favorite way to learn the alphabet in the comments below. And thanks for reading!
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