How To Start A Kids Baking Club

What Is a Baking Club?

A baking club is a great way for kids to get together after school or on Sundays to bake. They’ll have fun trying out new recipes, and of course- eating them! Using butter in recipes can enhance the texture, making treats chewier and more enjoyable. Kids love to be in the kitchen and experiment with food. In a structured group kids will learn kitchen skills and social skills while enjoying delicious dishes. If you’ve moved to a new neighborhood a baking club can be a good way to meet new people and make new friends. Everyone makes the same thing together and gets to enjoy their treat afterward. The variety of baked goods, including cakes, can make the experience even more exciting.

Here are some tips on how to start a baking club.

Planning a Successful Baking Club

Planning a successful baking club requires a bit of foresight and organization, but the rewards are well worth it. Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Define the Purpose and Scope: Start by deciding what kind of baking club you want to create. Are you focusing on general baking, or do you want to specialize in something like cake decorating or bread baking? Maybe you want to explore different cuisines, like Italian or Mexican baking. Defining your club’s scope will help guide your planning.
2. Set Clear Goals and Objectives: What do you hope to achieve with your baking club? Whether it’s learning new recipes, improving baking skills, or simply having fun, setting clear goals will help keep everyone on the same page.
3. Choose a Meeting Frequency and Schedule: Decide how often your club will meet. Weekly, biweekly, or monthly meetings can all work, depending on everyone’s availability. Pick a schedule that suits all members to ensure consistent participation.
4. Select Recipes and Ingredients: Choose recipes that match the skill level of your members. Incorporate a variety of ingredients like brown sugar, chocolate chips, and other dry ingredients to keep things interesting. Whether it’s cookies, cupcakes, or bread, make sure the recipes are fun and delicious.
5. Plan for Equipment and Supplies: Make sure you have all the necessary equipment, such as mixing bowls, measuring cups, and baking sheets. You can either share a set of equipment or have each member bring their own. This ensures that everyone is prepared for each baking session.
6. Establish a System for Sharing Recipes and Ideas: Create a way for members to share recipes and ideas. This could be a shared online document, a recipe book, or even a group chat. Sharing tips and tricks will help everyone improve their baking skills.
7. Encourage Member Participation and Involvement: Get everyone involved in the planning and decision-making process. Rotate the role of the host so each member gets a chance to lead a baking session. This keeps the club dynamic and engaging.
8. Plan for Special Events and Activities: Add some excitement by planning special events like baking competitions, potlucks, or outings to local bakeries. These activities can make your baking club even more fun and memorable.
9. Establish a Budget and Plan for Expenses: Determine how you’ll cover expenses for ingredients and equipment. Establishing a budget ensures that your club remains financially sustainable and that everyone knows what to expect.
10. Have Fun and Be Flexible: Most importantly, remember to have fun! Baking clubs are a fantastic way to meet new people, learn new skills, and enjoy delicious food. Be flexible and enjoy the process without stressing too much about the details.

By following these tips, you can plan a successful baking club that is enjoyable, educational, and rewarding for all members.

What You Need To Know When Starting a Kids Baking Club: Getting Kids Involved

Who to Invite

First, decide on the invite list. A cooking club can be as small as 2-3 people, or as big as 8 people. The idea is to have up to 10, but no more as that can get overwhelming. Do you want to invite your kid’s best friends from school? The neighbors down the block? Or you can hang up signs around the neighborhood or post in your local moms group to get more sign-ups.

Baking clubs help teach kids about social interactions, whether with friends they’ve known forever, or new people they meet. When kids borrow and share ingredients or learn to have patience while waiting for their turn to mix, they’re learning valuable skills through play. Additionally, kids can learn to cook various recipes, enhancing their involvement in food preparation.

Once you decide who to invite, you’ll need to choose a time and place to have the club.

Who Will Host

The nice thing about a baking club is that you can rotate the hosts on a weekly/monthly basis. Each kid will get a chance to host it in their house, and best of all, the host gets to choose the recipe! This gives kids the chance to think about what they like to eat and what they want to make. As kids get more comfortable in the kitchen, they can take on more advanced recipes.

Decide on a time that is convenient for everyone. Some might enjoy an after school club on a weeknight, while others prefer to meet on a Sunday. You can meet every week, or only once a month. Kids will be excited to host and invite people to their house.

After setting the rules and the structure of the group, it’s time for the fun part.

What to Make

There are so many simple recipes to make in kids’ baking classes, it will be hard to pick just one! For example, cookies are really easy to make and delicious to eat. There are many different kinds of cookies to try, like drop cookies- dropping the batter onto the cookie sheet like chocolate chip cookies, or roll cookies where you roll out the dough and cut it into shapes. Some other ideas are cupcakes, cake pops, mini pies, cinnamon buns, or even savory options like bagels or soft pretzels. Sweet treats like cupcakes perfect for celebrations, homemade iced biscuits that are enjoyable to create with kids, and refreshing summer desserts like strawberry slices are also delightful options.

Each kid will get a chance to decide what they want to make when it is their turn to host. The host also provides the ingredients, so be sure to prepare beforehand and get everything you’ll need. When you get a Baketivity baking box we provide all the dry ingredients, so all you’ll need to get are the wet ingredients like eggs, oil, and margarine. Some of this you probably already have on hand.

A great option is to choose a theme for each baking meeting. You can do holiday themes, or themes based on flavors or colors. You might try a peppermint flavored recipe for Christmas, or an orange colored cookie for Halloween. Baketivity offers so many different recipes and ideas that you’ll always find something fun to make.

Equipment

To start with, you’ll need to make a onetime purchase of equipment. You can get one set and pass it around, or one for each kid to keep in their house. The basic equipment you’ll need includes mixing bowls, measuring cups, measuring spoons, whisk, spatulas, cookie scoop, rolling pin, and a mixing spoon. The equipment is reusable and easy to store. Once you have the equipment, all you’ll need to get for each kids’ baking class is the ingredients. Another idea is to buy paper plates, napkins, and silverware for the kids to enjoy their baked goods on.

Of course, each kid needs their own Baketivity apron and chef’s hat! It wouldn’t be a baking club without it.

At each meeting you can assign tasks for each kid. One can measure, another can pour, and each can get a turn mixing. You can teach kids about safety when a recipe involves using a knife. Another important thing for kids to learn is how to clean up after baking. Teach kids the importance of washing dishes after using them, and how to dry them and store them properly for later.

Put the kids in charge and let the fun begin!

Baking Kits For Baking Clubs

The best way to start a kids baking club is with prepared Baketivity baking boxes. Half the work is done for you- all the ingredients are measured, vacuum sealed, and ready to go. The great thing about Baketivity is that we offer a monthly subscription box so you’ll never run out of ideas for things to make. When you sign up, we’ll send you a new recipe box every month. This makes it easy to bake in a club.

Besides subscription boxes, we have many single kits available for kids to choose their favorite recipes to try. They’ll love making red velvet cupcakes, chocolate chunk cookies, or a s’mores pie. For a holiday theme try our snowball cookie baking kit, peppermint trifles, and gingerbread cookies. Check out our much loved classics like candy blossoms, confetti muffins, and whoopee pies.

Whatever Baketivity baking box you choose, your kids will have a blast navigating the recipe and instructions with their friends in their baking club.

School Baking Club Ideas

Another great way to get kids in the kitchen is to start a baking club at school. Many elementary schools offer extracurricular activities, and a baking club is a great way to teach kids skills in a fun setting. Since kids don’t have experience with food safety, it is a perfect opportunity to teach them how to properly wash their hands, how to read a recipe and understand measurements, and how to safely use a knife. A baking instructor can help kids complete their tasks in a fun way.

Baketivity baking boxes make a school baking club a no-brainer. The pre-measured ingredients create less mess and instructions are easy to follow. And each kit includes a fun and educational activity to do while the dish is in the oven.

While waiting for the treats to be done, kids can do a fun food-related activity or game so the learning never stops. They can decorate plates or mugs, play a food bingo, learn measuring related math, or even come up with their own recipes!

Once the delicious treats are done baking, it is time for kids to enjoy the products of their efforts. It tastes so much sweeter when you make it yourself!

Have you started a kids baking club? Let us know in the comments.