Children’s Day in India, celebrated on November 14, centers around children, of course, and it commemorates the fondness of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, held for kids. Growing up, schools had always made us feel special on this particular day with teachers jiving and entertaining their students. So, why not make this day even more special for your kids, and make it a core memory for them?
More than serving what you make for the children, involving them as a part of the creation process will make the day even more special for them! This should be a fun activity for pre-adolescent kids, who are old enough to help out by exercising caution. They might love to lend a hand with measuring ingredients and mixing batters. Parents and children can bond during the creative process too through decorating and adding special touches.
Fruit meets ice, meets fruit juice. For the healthiest choice, use fresh fruit, ideally two at the same time. Use a blender to puree them, and if you feel the consistency is too thick, you can add a little fruit juice of your choice in the popsicle tray.
Plastic molds in the form of ice cream cones or bars are easily available in the market. You can buy them and pour the mixture in them, then insert the popsicle ends and put them in the freezer to solidify.
Here are some fruit combinations that work surprisingly well: watermelon and mint, banana and blueberry, kiwi and muskmelon, pomegranate and orange, pineapple and coconut. These fruit combinations have a pleasant flavor and the kids will love it!
You might have come across videos on the Internet where children are having fun with a packet containing some kind of concoction. Well, surprise surprise, it's ice cream! All you need are a few ingredients, and most importantly ziplock bags of different sizes.
In a smaller ziplock bag, add milk, sugar, and vanilla extract (or any other flavor of your liking). Seal this bag tightly, then place it in a larger ziplock bag that has ice and salt in it. The salt lowers the melting temperature of the ice and keeps it from turning into liquid too quickly.
Hand this science experiment to the kids and let them shake around the bag for a couple of minutes. Check to make sure the smaller bag has an ice cream-like consistency. The ice cream can be enjoyed straight from the pouch or served in a bowl, so do ask your little one for their preference.
Typically featuring ingredients like crackers, peanut butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and chocolate bits, these no-bake cookies can be easily made on a stovetop. They are easy and quick for kids to help make. The ingredients are simply mixed, shaped into balls bars, and chilled before serving.
To make no-bake cookies, measure and mix the dry ingredients, that is oats and sugar. Then mix in the wet ingredients of your choice—peanut butter, honey, and vanilla essence (or sifted cocoa powder). Once fully combined, roll the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet.
Optional add-ins like chocolate chips can be pressed into the balls before chilling. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set. Once chilled, the no-bake cookies are ready to be enjoyed as treats.
Who doesn't like a cake that fits in the palm of your hand? It's almost like a plaything and will visually appeal to kids, which makes them a great treat to make for Children's Day. They can be decorated to represent different themes that children enjoy. For example, you could decorate cupcakes to look like different cartoon characters with icing in different colors and minute detailing work with fondant.
Figurines made entirely of icing can be placed on top. Other popular themes you could try are sports, Barbie, fairy-tale characters, instruments, and superheroes.
The cupcakes themselves can be made with the children's favorite flavors like chocolate, vanilla, and Oreo. The icing is key to transforming them into little works of art. In addition to the icing for details, buttercream or cream cheese frosting comes in many colors and allows for decorating faces and objects.
Parfait is another delicious, mess-free dessert that is perfect for Children's Day. It is made by layering yogurt or whipped cream with fruits like strawberries, kiwis, or blueberries in a tall glass. You can choose wine glasses if you trust your children with delicate cutlery, or go for the food-grade glasses, which are hard to break.
To make this treat extra special, you could add a scoop of ice cream to the top layer, or decorate the glass rim with sprinkles or crushed Oreo cookies. Serve the parfaits with spoons so the children can enjoy digging in and mixing up all the layers as they eat.