Why Baking With Kids Matters (And How To Do It When You’re Pressed On Time!)

If you’re like us, then some of your happiest childhood memories involve quality time in the kitchen with your family. Helping out with the baking was always a favorite… probably more so because of getting to enjoy the fruits of our labour). But if you’re like us, while you may want to recreate these memories with your own children, you may also find yourself too pressed for time to make all the same recipes your grandmother did. Life in 2022 seems sooo much busier, am I right?

Baking with children is great for family bonding and for aiding in child development. Thankfully, there is a child-friendly alternative for time-crunched parents: baking mixes! Baking mixes offer all the benefits of baking from scratch, but with a much more manageable timeframe. Seriously, it can save you over 30 minutes between the prep and the dreaded clean up!! Who couldn’t use getting back 30 minutes of their day?

Why We Love Baking With Kids

Probably the best thing about baking with kids is simply the family time you spend together. You’re certainly making sweet memories when you’ve got sticky fingers and the delicious smell of banana bread slowly filling the kitchen. Getting hungry yet?

But of course, there are many ways to spend quality time with your children. Baking with kids is great because it has so many added benefits as well. 

First, there’s the fine motor skills. Your little kids can help with stirring, or maybe dumping in some chocolate chips. Older children will enjoy the adding challenge of measuring ingredients, cracking eggs, and pouring in liquids—again, all great for their developing motor skills. 

Older children will also naturally start to pick up on math and science skills while baking—especially if you explain the process to them and involve them as much as possible. Susgrainable baking mixes have the added dimension of including the number of rescued grains, opening up a whole other conversation topic on sustainability. If you have a teenager, be prepared to potentially learn a thing or two from them here!!

Best of all, children will get a self-esteem boost from being included in the kitchen. As a parent, you’ll love watching some of their picky eating habits disappear as they take pride in the creations they bake up. You will get to watch them beam with pride as they share their baking with others. 

Finally, it’s worth pointing out that baking is simply a good life skill to have. One of the best things you can teach your child is that the kitchen is a worthwhile place to be, and that they can make delicious and healthy food for themselves. 

Child-Friendly Baking

Yes, baking with children is great for everyone, but mom-guilt helps no one. Baking from scratch is hardly a 2022-friendly activity. Thankfully, there’s an alternative that is much (much!) easier and much (much!) quicker. It’s time to make friends with baking mixes! 

Using a baking mix isn’t cheating (we promise!). It’s just about cutting out that dreaded prep and cleaning time! You’ll still be teaching all those valuable life skills, and you’ll still be spending that quality time together—just in a more manageable way. 

Plus, when you choose the right baking mixes, you can actually make healthier and more sustainable options of your favourite treats. 

For example, our sustainable chocolate chip cookie mix uses upcycled barley flour, so they’re higher in fibre and plant-based protein without sacrificing taste.   

And since no child can resist flipping a pancake, you might also enjoy our healthy pancake and waffle mix. Don’t forget to let your child’s creativity come to life by letting them add healthy add-ins like blueberries or strawberries!

Pro Tip: all of our mixes are made with upcycled barley flour, which is made from barley that would otherwise be wasted in the production of local beer here in Vancouver (don’t worry— there’s no alcohol content!). That means these mixes also offer a great talking point to begin sharing your values around the environment and your food choices with your children. 

Of course, on those cold rainy days when you have a little more time and are looking to bake from scratch in a sustainable way, we’ve got you covered with some great healthy recipes. Otherwise, enjoy baking with your child using Susgrainable’s child-friendly baking mixes. And make sure to take that extra 30 minutes you gain back for some personal Mom time… because we see you and you deserve it!