How to Decorate Sugar Cookies With a Toddler

Decorating sugar cookies with a toddler is a real challenge. But with some patients and a few easy steps you and your toddler will have a blast.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• cookie cutters
• frosting
• gel colors
• rolling pin
• sugar cookie recipe

1. Put on clothes that you don't care about. This will be messy and you will not want you or your toddlers clothes to get ruined.

2. Make your sugar cookie dough and refrigerate it for a half hour. You can make this a day ahead of time if you would like. I like to make my own from scratch, but when I am working with a two or three year old I used a prepackaged dough. This is up to you. I will tell you that making the dough with older kids teaches them a lot.

3. Once your dough is hard use a not stick mat or parchment paper to roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick on. Make two separate work stations. So you have rolled dough and your toddler has rolled dough. Use flour when the dough sticks.

4. Use lots of different shapes. I stock up on different shape cookie cutters when I find them for cheap. This way you can teach your toddler shapes. Cut your cookies and put them in the oven quick so there is not that much time to wait to decorate. Then let them have fun with their dough. Some children will want their shapes baked and others will want to keep making new shapes and re-rolling the dough. Just let them be entertained while the cookies bake.

5. Let the cookies cool.

6. 
    
   decorate sugar cookies with a toddler

   Make different color frosting. Use your gel food coloring and frosting(you can use royal icing or store bought) to mix different colors. This is a good time to teach your toddler that when you mix blue and yellow they make green and so on. Find fun sprinkles to match.

7. Put your frosting in a piping bag if you have one or a zip lock bag will work. If you are using a zip lock bag push the frosting to one corner and rubber band it there. Then snip the very tip off.

8. Decorate away. Let your child be in charge of this part and decide what sprinkles and colors they want to mix and match.

9. Let you toddler have a decorated sugar cookie as a reward for their hard work decorating sugar cookies.

Tips & Warnings

• If the dough starts to stick a lot put it back in the refrigerator. Cold dough sticks less.
• If your toddler wants to stick their hands in the dough and play with it, let them. This is how they learn.