Celebrate a kids birthday at home with our special occasion ideas. Get creative with our activity inspiration, from fun film nights to DIY spa days and afternoon tea.
Coming up with entertaining and original kids’ birthday party ideas isn’t easy at the best of times – but deciding on birthday ideas for kids at home is trickier still. Fear not – our round-up has everything you need to make your kid’s party go with a bang, from planning the perfect food and budget-friendly foodie activities to easy cakes with the wow factor and the best mocktails for tweens and teens. All you need do is pick a theme, then get the whole family involved – there’s something for kids of all ages. Birthday activities at home 1. Sweet treat factory What’s the best way to reduce the stress of baking for your kid’s birthday? Getting everybody involved! Set up baking stations for every member of the family with pre-weighed ingredients, you can even go to the effort of hand-writing recipe cards for each of you to follow. Choose from easy chocolate-dipped marshmallows and cake pops or easiest-ever biscuits and thumbprint cookies. Throw in some healthy options, too, like watermelon pops or cherry smoothies. Divide the goodies into homemade boxes so everyone gets one of each. Find more simple bakes to enjoy with the little ones in our kids’ baking recipes, kids’ party recipes and kids’ chocolate recipes. 2. Board game cafe Stack the table with age-appropriate games like dominos, cards, Trivial Pursuit or Monopoly. This idea can run over a few hours so choose food that’s mostly at room temperature, like hummus and crudités. The birthday boy or girl will have their hands full of dice or playing cards, so stick to a grazing platter loaded with nibbles that are easy to pick up and eat – no cutlery required. A pre-prepared dessert buffet works well because everyone in the family can help themselves to a bite to eat between rounds: lay out some popcorn, three-ingredient peanut butter cookies or chocolate bark. 3. Spa day For this kids birthday party idea, you all need to arrive in your dressing gown or onesie. The host sets up stations with fluffy towels and foot-rests and each family member gets to book in for a pamper, such as a pedicure, new hair do or painted nails. You can make up goodie bags filled with lip balm, hair gel or face packs. Fill lidded jam jar glasses with watermelon lemonade for mid-treatment refreshments and prepare finger food for afterwards, such as chicken satay or falafel. You can decorate this chocolate traybake with a candy message that reads ‘relax’ ‘or ‘spa’. 4. Afternoon tea For an extra-special birthday idea for kids at home, try an upscale afternoon tea. Hang up some bunting and assemble a selection of mismatched pretty tea cups and vintage crockery. Make a variety of kid-friendly sandwiches or lay out a spread on a platter or stand. Watch this video to help you perfect scones and choose a traditional bake like a classic Victoria sponge or coffee cake. In good weather, you can lay out a picnic rug and take the party to the garden with tealights and blankets to keep everyone cosy. For more tips and tricks on hosting the perfect afternoon tea, take a look at our guides on how to throw an afternoon tea party and afternoon tea for kids. 5. Family film night With a little bit of extra effort, your standard family movie night can be elevated to a kids’ birthday party from home to remember. Start by printing posters to display around the house and 'admit one' tickets for tonight’s screening. Invest in stripey popcorn bags and boxes for nachos. Prepare fruit slushies and serve in little glass smoothie bottles. Try sugary cinnamon popcorn or five ways to take it in other flavour directions. If you have a projector, you can pile up blankets and garden cushions and set up your very own outdoor movie theatre, complete with campfire cupcakes or s’mores dip, our take on the American campfire treat. Discover more tasty snack ideas, perfect for curling up on the sofa, in our ultimate family film night guide. 6. Outdoor scavenger hunt Collect together your little one’s favourite toys – army soldiers, zoo animals, mini dinosaurs or wooden figures work best as they are easily cleaned. Tie luggage labels around them with clues that lead from one to another in a trail, then hide them in the garden. Give the party boy or girl a bucket and lead them on the scavenger hunt. At the end of the trail they’ll find the real treasure in little cellophane or paper bags: homemade honeycomb, next-level chocolate chip cookies or rocky road clusters. For older children, you can switch the toys for trickier clues to code-break in a trail of coloured envelopes. 7. Gingerbread city Gingerbread houses aren’t just for Christmas – for an edible birthday party idea, try making a whole town. Bake biscuit components ahead of time and lay out with icing and sweeties waiting to be constructed. Choose from mini houses so you can all decorate your own, gingerbread trees to make a forest backdrop (use green icing so your trees look less festive) and any shape you fancy to populate your village, from penguins to people. Chopping boards covered in foil make good bases and royal icing is best for sticking together the biscuit foundations. Two-dimensional designs laid flat on tin foil bases can speed up construction and best suit younger birthday builders. 8. Pizza party plus You’ve heard of pizza parties, where everyone in the family gets to make their own masterpiece, spreading homemade passata on shop-bought or homemade bases, before covering with grated cheese and their chosen toppings. But if your teen fancies something different, what about build-your-own bruschetta instead? Make the bases ahead of time, using a nicely charred crusty bread, drizzled in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Lay out a selection of toppings and let everyone construct their own. You can pick-and-mix and there’s no additional cooking time, leaving the family more time to focus on opening pressies and cards. For more inspiration on toppings, alternative bases for dietary needs, and different cooking methods, check out our pizza party ideas. 9. Rainbow party For a kids birthday idea in bold technicolour, try throwing a rainbow party. Fill the room with rainbow bunting and balloons and lay out art materials in all the colours of the arc. Tailor your creative activity to the age of your children (factoring in mess, damage limitation and tidying up!). Try fingerprinting or painting pebbles on newspaper, making a giant rainbow on paper masking-taped to a wall, chalk drawings on the outdoor pavement, rainbow sock puppets or colourful cross-stitch designs. Set up a multicoloured juice and smoothie bar with berry red, orange juice, yellow sunshine smoothies, kiwi fruit green and purple-pink cherry. Make rainbow rice paper rolls and rainbow fruit skewers, plus rainbow rippled meringues or a funfetti rainbow cake. 10. Crazy science Get out the white coats and googles and turn your kitchen into a science lab for an experimental kids’ birthday party idea that goes off with a bang. Make slime, bubble mix, bath bombs or, best of all, magical instant ice cream, part recipe, part weird science which turns milk into ice cream before your eyes. Also on the menu are moon cycle cupcakes or, as a centrepiece, an anti-gravity cake or galaxy cake. 11. Milkshake station What could be more fun than a milkshake bar for kids (and big kids, too)? Perfect for parties or celebrations, let guests choose their own toppings for a truly interactive treat. Vanilla milkshake is always a safe bet, but classics like our chocolate milkshake and strawberry milkshake are impossible to resist. Discover more milkshake recipes, from classics to more unconventional choices like our Eton mess freakshake. For a twist, try adding unconventional toppings and sauces to the bar. Our soy caramel milkshake might sound unusual, but the umami from the soy perfectly balances the caramel’s sweetness – a surprising hit for adventurous taste buds! 12. Pancake party Who says pancakes are just for Pancake Day? Easy to make and endlessly customisable, they’re perfect for a year-round treat – and a brilliant idea for a kids’ birthday at home. Get the little ones involved in making crêpes or fluffy American pancakes, then lay out a table of toppings so they can get creative. Sweet options could include compotes, jams, caramel sauce and more, while savoury choices like cheese sauce, salami and plenty of veggies cater to all tastes. To keep the fun going, turn leftover egg boxes into a crafting game – see who can make the best creation once the pancakes are done. For more tips and inspiration, check out our guide on how to throw a pancake party. 13. Garden camping If the weather’s on your side, why not take the party outdoors? Recreate a family camping trip by pitching a tent and enjoying all your meals al fresco – or as close to the great outdoors as your garden allows. For meal inspiration, explore our easy family camping recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fire up the barbecue and cook crowd-pleasers like chicken & halloumi burgers, next-level BBQ chicken and pineapple & pork skewers. For even more ideas, check out our barbecue recipes perfect for your garden spread. The best part? You’re still just steps away from your fridge! 14. Unicorn themed Make your child’s birthday truly magical with our unicorn-themed recipes. Deck the house out in glitter and sparkles, then serve treats like white chocolate unicorn bark, unicorn biscuits and unicorn cupcakes to complete the whimsical vibe. For extra giggles, let the kids decorate our unicorn poo meringues with fondant icing, creating their own quirky expressions. The star of the spread, our unicorn cake, will stop everyone in their tracks – a light sponge layered with caramel buttercream that’s pure magic for the taste buds. Finish the celebration with a pink unicorn hot chocolate, perfect for winding down while watching a unicorn- or magic-themed film. 15. Sports day For competitive little ones, why not throw a sports day-themed birthday party? Let kids take part in a mix of activities, from classic egg-and-spoon races to friendly football matches – a fun way to encourage activity, friendly competition… and tire them out a little! Keep energy levels high with our snack stadium spread, packed with treats the kids can help themselves to between games. For the showstopper, try our football pitch party cake or surprise piñata football cake – perfect for football fans. For more inspiration, explore our summer of sport recipes and ultimate sports night menu, ideal for both playing and watching the action. Enjoyed these ideas? Check out our other birthday ideas for kids Best fairy cake recipes for kids Kids’ party games Kids’ party recipes Unicorn party ideas
Improve your baking skills at university with our best ever student-friendly recipes. Whip up a classic loaf of bread or bake a giant cookie to satisfy your sweet tooth.
We might all want to have our cake and eat it, but baking’s not always easy on a student budget, with limited space and limited cooking kit. These recipes all give you more ingredients for your buck, and will help you make the most of the kitchen in your student digs. Want to know more about baking on a budget? Read Ruby Tandoh’s top tips. Flex your cooking skills with our student recipes and student meal ideas, including cheap and cheerful sharing dinners and wholesome meals for one. Also, make sure you are kitted out with all the right equipment by reading our review of the best student kitchen essentials. Discover recipes perfect for student life – whether you're keen to upskill in the kitchen or just need quick, reliable meals. Hosting pals? Try our easy student dinner party recipes to be the hostess with the mostess. Pressed for time? Our 30-minute student meal plan has you covered. Cutting back on meat? Explore our vegetarian and vegan student recipes for fresh, flavour-packed ideas. 1. Giant cookie Raid the corner shop for toppings for this tear-and-share pimped-up cookie. Don’t worry if you don’t have a baking sheet in your student halls – you can use an oven-proof frying pan. All the other ingredients are cheap and easy to get hold of, so the only question is: What will you put on yours? Bake your own giant cookie with all the trimmings. 2. Double ginger cookies If you’re a fan of ginger nuts, you’ll love these American-style spiced biscuits. Studded with stem ginger and dipped in dark chocolate, they’re made with fewer than 10 ingredients and bake up 24 per batch. Freeze the dough to cut waste, and bake them on demand (though they won’t last long next to a cuppa). Treat yourself without breaking the bank with more budget-friendly baking recipes. 3. Easy white bread Your beginners’ bread-making class starts here, with a simple sandwich loaf made from very basic ingredients in just 20 minutes plus baking. You can make big batches of this and freeze loaves so that you know exactly what’s going into your daily bread. And once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start experimenting with different shapes, sizes and add-ins. Try making your own easy white bread. 4. Frying pan pizza Make a simple dough for this pizza with flour and olive oil – it requires minimal kneading so it's low-effort. The recipe counts as 2 of your 5-a-day and serves two: enjoy half for dinner, then chill the rest for a lunchbox-friendly bite you can take to lectures. 5. Easy chocolate cupcakes Stretch your cake budget further with these chocolatey treats which can be frozen (if you can resist eating the whole batch) and then quickly reheated in the microwave. The recipe divides the chocolate between the cake batter and the icing to make your money go further and cut down on ingredients. Bake up a batch of simple chocolate cupcakes. 6. Jumbo sausage roll Portable and perfect for sharing, this sausage roll is super straightforward to bake with maximum moreishness. The recipe comes with the ingredients for making your own baked beans, too, if you fancy trying that as a side dish. Replace pork sausages with vegetarian alternatives if you prefer. Make a jumbo sausage roll to feed a crowd. 7. Freezer biscuits Roll this dough up in a log wrapped in greaseproof paper, pop it in the freezer, and you can slice off rounds to bake as and when you and your mates fancy a biccie. You can vary the flavours between nuts, coconut or dried fruit, and you’ll easily find all the ingredients at the corner shop or supermarket. Try baking homemade freezer biscuits. 8. Banana peel breakfast cake Make the most of your bananas – peel and all – with this clever breakfast loaf. It’s delicious as is, or you can serve it toasted with a spoonful of yogurt. Following a vegan diet? Try our vegan banana bread. Or, if you want a gluten-free option, try our gluten-free banana bread. 9. Feelgood flapjacks These portable feelgood flapjack bars use banana and apple to bind together the oat mix so you can cut down on sugar and butter – better for you, better for your wallet. They keep well in a tin for a few days and pack in plenty of the good stuff in the shape of dried fruit, seeds and oats. Pack one in your bag for after your lecture. 10. Cheesy garlic bread Some things just taste way better when you DIY rather than order in or buy in a packet, and cheesy garlic bread is high on that list. It’s super simple to make – not to mention cheaper – and once you’ve baked this beginners’ recipe, you can try garlic bread nachos, cheesy garlic bread baked from scratch, or garlic bread pizzas. Enjoyed these student recipe suggestions? Try our other easy cooking ideas... Top 10 vegan student recipes Our favourite healthy student meals How to kit out a student kitchen What's your favourite student baking recipe? Leave a comment below...
Papier-mâché, or what's more commonly searched for as 'paper mache', is the perfect activity for kids. Discover our winning recipe, step-by-step guide and easy video to make your project a breeze...
This paper mache recipe is the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon inside. It's quick enough to hold a young child's attention and you only need a few storecupboard ingredients. For more hands-on crafts, see how to make playdough, slime, salt dough, bath bombs, oobleck, bubble mixture and moon sand with affordable ingredients and easy steps. Keep the little ones entertained at home with our summer activities for kids, sensory play ideas, fun yoga for kids and birthday ideas for kids at home. See our new Kid's Kitchen series for essential cookery skills, plus easy recipes kids can make and kids summer baking projects. Browse our family & kids hub for plenty of inspiration. How to make paper mache Find out how to make a paper mache balloon and stationery holder in the video below. View Green Video on the source website What to make with paper mache Bowls Lampshades Boxes Masks Earth models Containers Paper mache recipe Makes 1 big batch Prep 10 minutes What do you need to make paper mache An old newspaper, comics or magazines 1 level mug of plain flour 1 level mug of warm water, plus extra tap water for loosening Method 1. Tear or cut strips or little squares from your newspaper, comics or magazines according to the project you're working on. Do this first before you make the paste so that the paste doesn’t set while you’re cutting paper. 2. Stir together the flour and warm water in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Add extra tap water a little at a time to loosen. You want a smooth, batter-like paste with no lumps. You can sift the flour first for a super smooth finish. 3. Cover your work area in more old newspaper. Dip the paper strips in the paste, wipe off the excess on the side of the bowl and stick onto your project. Use a paintbrush to smooth down the paper and remove any air bubbles or excess paste. Repeat to cover and leave to dry before adding further layers. In our video we made a comic-covered tin to use as a pot for storing kids’ cutlery and covered a balloon to paint and turn into a face, globe – or anything else you dream up. For inspiration, visit our friends at 5 Minute Fun and discover 5 easy papier-mâché makes. Like this? Try more activities for kids: Indoor activities for kids Playdough recipe How to make salt dough How to make a bath bomb How to make bubbles How to make slime without borax Top 10 easy bakes for children How to make a pom-pom Family & kids hub page Keep little gardeners busy with more fun crafts... How to make a herb garden Easy rock painting for kids How to make a fairy door How to make a stick photo frame How to make a bee flowerpot How to make garden wind chimes 5 easy garden crafts for kids Fruit & veg for kids to grow
See how to make homemade playdough with our easy recipe using storecupboard ingredients. Save money and involve the kids in this thrifty kitchen activity.
This super-easy playdough recipe is the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon inside. It's quick enough to hold a young child's attention and you only need a few storecupboard ingredients. Little hands can play with the results straight away, so there's immediate gratification for all involved! For more hands-on crafts, see how to make air-dry clay, slime, salt dough, oobleck, bath bombs, and moon sand, with affordable ingredients and easy steps. Keep the little ones entertained at home with our summer activities for kids, sensory play ideas, fun yoga for kids and birthday ideas for kids at home. See our new Kid's Kitchen series for essential cookery skills, plus easy recipes kids can make and kids' summer baking projects. Browse our family & kids hub for plenty of inspiration. Why homemade playdough is the best It requires just a few simple storecupboard ingredients It's convenient and affordable It's easy to make It isn't toxic for kids It can easily be customised with different colours It can be stored in the fridge in an airtight bag for months How to make playdough Makes 1 coloured ball Prep 10 minutes You will need 8 tbsp plain flour 2 tbsp table salt 60ml warm water food colouring 1 tbsp vegetable oil Method 1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the water, a few drops of food colouring and the oil. 2. Pour the coloured water into the flour mix and bring together with a spoon. 3. Dust a work surface with a little flour and turn out the dough. Knead together for a few minutes to form a smooth, pliable dough. If you want a more intense colour you can work in a few extra drops of food colouring. 4. Store in a plastic sandwich bag (squeeze out the air) in the fridge to keep it fresh. You can make a batch of colours and give away as kids’ party bag favours or hold a playdough party for your child’s next birthday. Watch our step-by-step video to see how simple this recipe is: View Green Video on the source website For inspiration, visit our friends at 5 Minute Fun and discover 5 easy models to make from playdough. Like this? Try more activities for kids... Indoor activities for kids How to make salt dough How to make paper mache How to make a bath bomb How to make bubbles How to make slime without borax Top 10 easy bakes for children How to make a pom-pom Keep little gardeners busy with more fun crafts... How to make a herb garden Easy rock painting for kids How to make a fairy door How to make a stick photo frame How to make a bee flowerpot How to make garden wind chimes 5 easy garden crafts for kids Fruit & veg for kids to grow
Discover our easy but beautiful Christmas crafts for kids. All of these projects make good use of everyday materials that you can pull together from your recycling box or art drawer.
Cosy up inside and get creative with these stunning festive craft ideas. We've selected projects that are suitable for the smallest of hands, as well as some that will keep older children absorbed for hours, too... Cork penguins & snowmen Cover the table with newspaper. Paint corks with white acrylic paint. Leave to dry on the newspaper, then apply a second coat. Once dry, use black and orange permanent markers to draw faces and bodies on your snowmen and penguins. Cut out strips of green felt for scarves and glue into place. Help little ones screw an eyelet screw (the kind you use to hang pictures) into the top of each figure, then thread a stretch of ribbon through each eyelet hook and hang your finished figures from the Christmas tree. Cookie cutter baubles Gather together ribbon, festive gingerbread cutters and old Christmas cards or a pack of Christmas scrapbooking paper. Trace the shape of each cutter onto different cards (or sheets of scrapbooking paper) with a pencil, then cut out the shapes. Glue around the edge of each cutter (a hot glue gun or tube of strong glue with a nozzle is easiest for this), then stick the cut-out card in place. Leave to dry. Find a needle with an eye big enough to thread your ribbon through. Use the needle to carefully poke a 1cm horizontal line in the card along the top of each bauble. Thread the needle with a strip of ribbon and pull through the hole of your first bauble, then remove the needle and tie a knot with the ribbon. Repeat with the rest of the baubles, then hang them from your Christmas tree. Present topper Add a personal touch with a gift topper inspired by nature. It’s best to choose your dried flowers and foliage according to the size of the present you’re wrapping. For a large gift, you might want to combine dried grass flowers with a selection of dried seed heads, like poppy or wild carrot. For a smaller gift, use an individual stem like a strawflower (helichrysum). If you are picking flowers and grasses, make sure to dry them well by hanging them in small bunches in a dark place. Once you have your dried flowers and foliage, choose which elements you think will look good sprayed with metallic paint. We like to have one hero item that is metallic, and leave the rest natural. Lay the items you’re spraying on sheets of old newspaper or card and spray evenly. Once dry, turn and repeat. Assemble your posy and tie neatly with twine. Wind the twine around the stems a dozen or so times to create a collar, which is then tied off at the back of the posy. Trim all stems neatly below the twine to give a smart finish. Tuck the posy into a ribbon or string on your present. Finish with a kraft luggage tag, if you like, and write on a gift message. Lolly stick tree decorations Paint 4 lolly sticks white on one side and set aside to dry on a sheet of newspaper, then paint the other side and set aside. Paint 4 lolly sticks red in the same way, and 4 green. To make a snowflake, glue 2 white sticks at the centre in a cross shape, then another 2. Glue both crosses together at a diagonal angle. Hold firmly in place until set. To make a tree, use scissors to trim 3 green lolly sticks to size, and glue them horizontally across a red lolly stick (for the trunk) with the longest stick at the bottom and the shortest at the top, and the blunt end facing up. For a Rudolph decoration, glue 2 red sticks into a ‘V’ shape, then another red stick about a third of the way down across the ‘V’ (the blunt ends will be antlers and ears). To make a candy cane, trim three pieces from a white lolly stick and glue together into a hook shape. Glue the hook to another white lolly stick. Use a brush and different coloured paints to finish your decorations, dotting baubles onto the tree, blue arrows on the snowflake, red stripes across the candy canes and two black eyes and a red nose at the pointed tip for Rudolph. Cut 10cm lengths of ribbon and glue both ends in a loop on the back of each decoration. Hang on the tree or make a batch and give away to family and friends. Salt dough modelling clay Get the family in the festive spirit by making salt dough letters or simple shapes and figures. To start, heat your oven to its lowest setting and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Mix 125g plain flour with 150g salt in a large bowl. Add 125ml water and stir until the mixture comes together into a clean ball. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Use your hands or cookie cutters to shape the dough into snowmen, Christmas trees, letters or any other designs your children fancy. Arrange the shapes on the lined baking sheet and pop in the oven for 3 hrs, or until solid. Leave to cool, then paint and varnish with craft varnish and a sprinkle of glitter. Read our full guide to making salt dough. Toy-box table place settings Raid the kids’ toy box for little plastic animals and toy cars to decorate your Christmas table. Write the names of your friends and family on labels and assign each person a toy. Wrap old raisin packets in scraps of wrapping paper to look like miniature presents, then tie to the top of the cars with twine. Alternatively, top the cars with miniature bottle brush Christmas trees. Make easy Father Christmas hats for the toys from white cupcake cases: draw a solid red circle on each wrapper, leaving about 1cm border at the edge, then fold in half and halve again. Wrap into a cone, glue into shape and stick a little white pompom to the top of each hat, then pop on the toy animals' heads. If you have any corks left over from making cork snowmen (see above), you can make photo name place settings, too: cut a slit in the top of each cork and slide in a name tag and photo of each of your guests. Handprinted wrapping paper Paint the palms of your child’s hands with red paint and their fingers with white paint, then press onto brown paper to make Father Christmas faces. Leave the designs to dry, then add details with a black marker. As well as handprints, you can also create festive designs with thumbprints: try white thumbprint snowmen (using a black pen to draw on eyes and mouths and coloured marker pens for noses and scarves); black and white thumbprint penguins (using an orange pen for noses); or brown thumbprint Rudolphs (using a red pen for noses and a black pen for eyes and mouths). Pine cone Christmas trees Collect pine cones on a wintry walk with the kids. Cover a table with newspaper and spray the cones with metallic silver paint. Cut little stars from card for the top of your pine cone trees and spray these with silver paint, too. Once dry, sit the pine cone trees in little glasses or pots and surround with used matchboxes or raisin packets covered in off-cuts of wrapping paper to look like miniature presents. Use to decorate a shelf or festive dinner table. Alternatively, place in your child's dollhouse so that the dolls have a Christmas tree, too. Matchbox angel This sleeping angel makes a lovely keepsake or gift. To make the bed, cover a large, empty matchbox in snowflake-patterned wrapping paper and cut out a rectangle of green felt to fit inside the box. To make the angel, paint ¾ of a wooden ice lolly stick with white paint (for her dress), then decorate the top of the stick with yellow paint (for her hair). Use marker pens to draw on eyes and a mouth, then varnish the angel with simple craft varnish. To make her halo, fold a silver foil twist tag (the kind that comes with sandwich bags) around her head and snip away the excess at the back. Cut wings from a scrap of fabric and glue in place. Glue buttons or little wooden decorations in place on your angel, if you like. Find a matchbox-sized bag to hold the finished gift and decorate with ribbon or buttons. Cut out a festive message from a Christmas catalogue or magazine and stick it onto a gift label, then attach to the gift bag. Sewing box Christmas cards Give the kids a selection of fabric ribbon, fabric off-cuts and buttons and let them make their own cards. Use glue to stick the ribbon and buttons in place. You can make a Christmas angel card using the lolly stick angel from the matchbox craft project above. Alternatively, make mini versions of these cards as gift tags. Christmas song lyric tapestry Tweens and teens can make a tapestry of their favourite Christmas song. Start by writing the lyrics on a piece of plain A4-sized cross-stitch canvas with a pencil. Use contrasting colours of cross-stitch cotton thread to sew your design in a simple neat backstitch. Frame your finished embroidery and give as a gift or keep to display on Christmas mantlepiece. Peg doll & cardboard nativity Make nativity scene figures by decorating plain wooden peg dolls with craft paints and marker pens. Varnish with craft varnish and leave to dry. Use a small pile of shredded paper for the manger. Create a backdrop of a stable scene with two sides of a used cardboard box – cut out the shape of a stable from one flap, then cut out a window and door from the same flap. Fold at the box’s natural crease to form a supporting base. Cut out a small piece of baking parchment and tape over the back of the window and door. Place battery-powered fairy lights behind the baking parchment to light up the stable. You can tape the cardboard base in place on a tray or shelf once finished and use the battery pack from the lights (or something else with a bit of weight to it) to prop it up at the back. We added a little glue and white glitter along the roof of our stable for snow, as well as a simple star of Bethlehem. Citrus candle holders & garland Cut the tops off three oranges, about two-thirds of the way up, using a small, sharp knife. Working with them one by one, carefully push the knife between the orange peel and the flesh, cutting all the way around until the flesh is loose and can be pulled out (enjoy as a snack or in a smoothie). Scoop out any remaining bits using a dessertspoon, making sure all the flesh and fibres are pulled away, leaving behind the smooth, white pith. Push a small star-shaped biscuit cutter through the orange peel to make a few holes all over and create a pattern – not too many (you want the orange peel to hold its shape). Put a tealight in each orange peel holder and arrange on a table. To make the garland, thread a large needle with some brown string and pull it through the centre of each star-shaped orange peel off-cut. Continue threading until all the off-cuts are used, then cut the string to your desired length. Use the garland to decorate the tree or your Christmas table. Potato print fabric for gift hampers Lay some old newspaper out on a clean, dry, flat surface. Lay a square piece of ironed cotton fabric (about 80 x 80cm) on top. Cut a potato in half using a small, sharp knife. Use a marker pen to lightly sketch your design onto the cut surface of the potato (we opted for a striped candy cane with one half and a bauble with the other). Carefully cut out the space around your design using the knife. Use some kitchen paper to pat the cut side of the potato dry. With a paintbrush, brush a thin layer of acrylic fabric paint over the design. Press the potato down firmly onto the fabric, making sure not to move it to avoid smudging the design. Apply more paint and repeat to make a pattern. Leave the fabric to dry completely overnight. Once the fabric is dry, iron each side following the manufacturer’s instructions for the paint. Lay the fabric out, printed-side down, and put a filled gift box (about 19 x 19 x 11cm high) in the middle. Tie a flat knot with corners 1 and 2, pulling the knot tightly on the hamper. Then, tie another flat knot with corners 3 and 4 over the previous knot. This will give the pretty effect of a knot with four points. Veg hero Christmas tree decorations Veg hero Christmas tree decorations of the vegetable decorations and cut them out. Cut a length of string into three pieces for hanging on your tree. Fold the decorations in half, and apply glue all over the back of them. Lay a piece of string along the crease that was created when folding the decorations, then neatly fold the decorations back together, ensuring the string stays along the crease and is secure. Tie the ends of the string together to make a loop. Leave to dry completely. Trim any rough edges that don’t line up, then use to decorate your tree. Marshmallow snowflake for hot chocolate Push a cocktail stick all the way through the equator of a large marshmallow. Repeat with the remaining cocktail sticks, positioning them to create a starburst effect. Push two mini marshmallows onto each exposed stick end to make a snowflake design. Use to garnish mugs of hot chocolate or wrap and gift as part of a hamper. We'd love to see your creations at home! Tag us @goodfoodeveryday and use #goodfoodeveryday and we'll share some of our favourites. Enjoyed this? You may also like: Activities for kids Christmas projects for kids How to make playdough Christmas recipes for kids Top DIY Christmas crafts
Discover easy and beautiful Easter crafts for kids and adults alike to enjoy. Try our homemade bird feeder, salt dough decorations, paper pinwheels and more
Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained over Easter? These fun projects will do the trick, and adults may even find themselves getting stuck in, too. Find everything from Easter egg crafts to salt dough ideas and more. See our general recipe for salt dough here. Want to get little ones in the kitchen? Try our best Easter cakes for kids for decorating with homemade nests or chocolatey mini eggs. For more spring activities, see how to decorate Easter eggs, how to throw an Easter egg hunt and our picks of the best Easter table decoration ideas. If you like these Easter craft ideas, be sure to head over to Gathered, where the craft team has rounded up even more easy Easter crafts for kids. Easter crafts 1. Egg potato printing Kids can make their own Easter greeting cards with this easy craft idea. The printed effect adds a lovely DIY touch to their cards, plus it's low-cost to make. Takes 15 mins To make egg potato printing, you will need: Potatoes Paintbrush Paint Card What to do 1. Cut a potato in half and carefully carve out some shapes – stripes or spots look good. 2. Use a paintbrush to paint your chosen paint colours onto the potato, then use as a stamp to make patterns for Easter greetings cards. 2. Cupcake liner daffodils Kids will love creating these realistic daffodils made using cupcakes liners. Feel free to get experimental with the colours. Takes 30 mins To make cupcake liner daffodils, you will need: Lolly sticks Green craft paint White, yellow or orange craft paper or card 6x white, yellow or orange cupcake liners Glue What to do Paint six wooden lolly sticks with green craft paint and set aside to dry. Cut flower shapes from white, yellow or orange craft paper or card, each with six pointy petals. Take six white, yellow or orange cupcake liners (a contrasting colour to the flowers looks nice) and lightly scrunch the base of them in your hand. Glue one on each flower, then glue the flowers to the lolly sticks. Cut out six long leaf shapes from green craft paper or card and stick to the stems. 3. Handprint bunny egg holders Takes 30 mins To make handprint bunny egg holders, you will need: Glue dots or non-toxic glue Coloured card Scissors Felt-tip pens Chocolate eggs What to do On a sheet of coloured card, trace around your child’s hand. Cut out as many handprints as you have eggs. Fold the outer finger down to make bunny arms. Cut the central finger off, leaving two bunny ears sticking up. Use felt-tip pens to draw on the face and ears. Stick a wrapped chocolate egg to the bunnies’ paws using glue dots or non-toxic glue. 4. Easy DIY bird feeder Treat the birds this Easter with this easy craft idea. Little ones will love watching the garden birds as they perch on the side, pecking away at the seed. It’s a great way to teach children about local wildlife and enjoy a fun afternoon of craft. Takes 30 mins To make an Easter bird feeder, you will need: 1 large orange 2 kebab skewers Bird seed String What to do Cut a large orange in half and scoop out the middle (you can eat this as a snack). Poke a kebab skewer through one side of the orange and out through the other, then poke another kebab skewer through from the other side so the two skewers make a cross in the middle. Little birds can perch on these skewers while they eat the seed. Take two equal lengths of string and tie these onto the skewers on either side so you can hang it up. It might not balance with just one, so be sure to do both. Fill the orange with bird seed, then hang on a branch for the birds to enjoy. 5. Salt dough Easter egg decorations Make these easy salt dough Easter eggs by mixing flour, salt and water, then stamping out the shapes with a biscuit cutter. Once baked, paint them with acrylic paints or try acrylic paint pouring. It’s easy to do and the patterns will be different every time – just be sure to protect your surfaces first! For a full in-depth tutorial, head over to Gathered and learn how to do acrylic pouring. Takes 15 mins, plus baking time To make salt dough Easter eggs, you will need: Plain flour Salt Water Mixing bowl Rolling pin Baking parchment Baking tray Biscuit cutter Acrylic paint String What to do Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Mix two parts plain flour with one part salt and one part water. Once the dough starts coming together, knead the mixture with your hands – if it feels a little sticky, sprinkle in a bit more flour, or add a splash more water if it's crumbly. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface until it's 5mm-1cm thick. Use an oval biscuit cutter to stamp out as many egg shapes as you can. If you want to make hanging Easter eggs, poke a hole in the top using a skewer or the end of a straw. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and arrange the salt dough eggs on top in a single layer. Bake for 2-3 hrs on the bottom shelf, or until the shapes are hard. Leave to cool completely. Pour over some acrylic paint, making sure to cover all the sides with colour, or paint normally. Leave to dry completely, then thread string through the hole at the top (if using) and secure with a knot before hanging. 6. Easter bunny Growing cress is a great way to teach children about plants and how food is grown and harvested – it’s fast growing and they can munch on it as a healthy snack once it’s ready. Decorate the flowerpot with a cheeky bunny decoration for Easter. This is a lovely DIY decoration, and once the cress is eaten, the Easter bunny can be brought out year after year. If you like this Easter craft idea, check out these crackin’ cress heads. Takes 30 mins, plus around 2 weeks' growing time To make a cress bunny, you will need: Small flowerpot Cress seeds Soil Large pompom (for the body) Small pompom (for the tail) Felt (for the feet) Pink felt (for the toe beans) Ribbon What to do Plant some cress in a small flowerpot following the instructions on the seed packet. Wrap some ribbon around the flowerpot. Glue a small pompom on top of a large pompom (this is the body and tail). Cut out feet from brown felt and toes from pink felt, then glue them together to make the bunny's feet. Glue these onto the large pompom body. Once the cress has grown, nestle the bunny into the pot. Hide some mini eggs in the cress and enjoy. 7. Marshmallow rabbits To make these marshmallow rabbits, join the marshmallows together using icing, then decorate with coloured icing to make a nose and some eyes. The best part is they’re edible, so you can enjoy them after Easter lunch. Have fun making different types of animals, too, and don’t be afraid to cut the marshmallows if they’re not exactly the shape you want. If you love marshmallows as much as we do, why not try these marshmallows dipped in chocolate? Takes 15-30 mins per bunny To make marshmallow rabbits, you will need: Icing Food colourings Large marshmallows (for the body) Medium marshmallows (for the ears) Small marshmallows (for the cheeks, feet, and tail) What to do Divide the icing into three bowls. Use food colouring to colour one blue and one pink, then leave the third bowl plain. Cut a medium marshmallow in half to create the ears. Using the plain icing, stick the ears on top of a large marshmallow and let set briefly until the ears are secure. Stick two small marshmallows onto the rabbit’s face to make cheeks, then add a blob of pink icing for the nose and two blobs of blue icing for the eyes. Leave to set. Stick four small marshmallows onto a large marshmallow to create the body – two should be at the top for arms and two at the bottom for legs. Stick another small marshmallow onto the body at the back to create a tail. Using a generous blob of plain icing, stick the head onto the body, then leave to set completely. 8. Paper pinwheels Paper pinwheels are a simple and fun craft that you can make using drinking straws and paper. Download our free templates, then cut out the shapes from your favourite paper (or just colour in the template). Pop the finished pinwheels in a flowerpot and let the wind spin them round. Pinwheel template Takes 15 mins To make a paper pinwheel, you will need: Paper pinwheel template Scissors Drinking straw Split pin (also called a ‘brad’) What to do Download and print the free paper pinwheel template, above. Use the template to cut the shape out from a piece of patterned paper, or simply colour it in and cut it out. Make a hole in each of the arms and in the middle. Flatten the end of a paper drinking straw and make a hole in the top. Bring the edges of the paper pinwheel to the middle and poke a split pin (brad) through the holes, joining it together. Poke the split pin through the hole in your drinking straw, then open it to secure, and stop it falling out. 9. Marbled decorative eggs Cover empty eggs with a pretty marbled effect to decorate your Easter table or use as markers for a chocolate egg hunt. Takes 1 hr To make marbled eggs, you will need: Fresh white eggs Disposable roasting tin 1 can of shaving foam Food colouring gels in various colours Skewer or toothpick Kitchen paper What to do Empty the eggs of their yolks and whites using our egg-blowing guide, then wash and leave to dry. Cover the base of the roasting tin with shaving foam. Sprinkle over drops of food colouring gels in your chosen colours and use a skewer or toothpick to marble the colourings into the foam slightly. Bright neon food colourings produce a stronger end result, while pastel colourings result in more delicate patterns. Roll each eggshell all over in the foam, place on kitchen paper and leave for 20 mins. Wipe off all the foam and use to decorate as desired. 10. Chocolate bar cards Give one of these easy to make chocolate parcel cards as a personalised alternative to a traditional Easter egg. Takes 15 mins To make chocolate cards, you will need: Brightly wrapped chocolate bars Brown paper Stickers and stamps Ink stamping set with ink Set of patterned notecards and matching envelopes String What to do 1. Wrap the chocolate bars in brown paper, then address them to friends or family and decorate with stickers, rubber stamps or pretend postage stamps. 2. Line up each parcel on the card where you would like it to be positioned and mark a dot on each side with a pencil where you want to tie it. Use scissors to poke a hole through each dot on your card (put a blob of modelling clay behind the dot on the card to do this easily and safely). 3. Cut a length of string long enough to wrap around your parcel and tie a ribbon. Thread it through the holes, then use it to secure the chocolate parcel in place by tying in a bow or knot. 11. Bunny and chick sweetie jars Make these chocolate-filled jars for your children to give to their teachers, or hide on an Easter egg hunt in the garden. Takes 1 hr, plus drying time To make bunny jars, you will need: Glass jar with screw lid Craft paint suitable for glass Permanent marker pens Patterned card Glue Pompom (chick only) Chocolate eggs and chocolate coins What to do 1. Paint the lids and jars, leaving a circle at the front of the jar unpainted. Leave to dry completely before applying a second coat. 2. Once dry, draw faces on the front to make a bunny or chick using permanent marker pens. 3. Cut out bunny ears or chick party hats from patterned card. Glue pompoms to the party hats, if needed. Bend back a 1cm-wide flap of card at the base of each ear or party hat and glue to the jar lids. To finish, fill the jars with chocolate. 12. No-sew felt bunny ears Customise these bunny ears for your children and their teddies, no sewing machine required. You can play around with the colour of the hairbands and felt, plus the size and position of the ears, to create your own unique designs. *You will need an adult for the glue gun and ironing.* Takes 30 mins To make bunny ears, you will need: A4 sheet of tracing or plain paper Sewing pins A4 pieces of felt in contrasting colours Fabric scissors and/or pinking shears Hot glue gun and glue sticks Iron Plain headband What to do Draw a bunny ear shape onto your paper, then draw a smaller inner ear shape next to it. Adjust the length of the ears according to the age of your child and personal preference, then add an extra 1cm length to each ear template – these will be folded under the headband as flaps. Cut out both shapes. Use pins to fix the ear templates to your felt and cut out two big ears and two inner ears. You can use pinking shears, if you have them, to give a zigzag effect to the inner ears. Attach the inner ears to the outer ears using a hot glue gun and leave to dry. Snip a small triangle, about 1cm high, from the centre base of each ear. Fold the ears lengthways down the middle, inner ears facing inwards, then use a hot iron to press along the outside of the crease. This will give your bunny ears a bent look when you unfold them. Fold the end of each ear under the headband and attach to the band with a hot glue gun. You can fold under from either the front or from the back then choose to either overlap the two ears or stick them apart depending on the look you want to achieve. In the picture, the ears on the girl’s headband are folded under from the front and overlapped while the teddy bear’s are folded under from the back and set apart. 13. Easy Easter table nests Use cut foliage to decorate ramekins and add personalised painted eggs for an easy way to set your Easter table. Takes 30 mins To make Easter nests, you will need: Cut foliage, such as ivy Gardener's twine Ramekins Gold shredded paper Fillable plastic eggs Chocolate beans Craft paints suitable for plastic Permanent marker pen What to do Twist lengths of ivy around plain ramekins, fixing them in place with gardener’s twine (or use a food bag tie to secure it in place). Fill the ramekins with shredded paper. Fill the plastic eggs with chocolate beans. Paint with drawings of bunnies or sheep and, once dry, add details with a permanent marker pen, alongside the names of family and friends. Sit each egg in its nest as name place holders for your table. We hope you’ve enjoyed these Easter craft ideas. If you’re looking for some similar projects you can do with the kids, then why not try these brilliant craft ideas: Indoor activities for kids Fun Easter recipes for kids Easy DIY Easter decorations Easy Easter crafts for kids Good Food big Easter quiz for kids
Keep the kids entertained during half term with these easy autumn activities – learn how to make a pinecone mouse, apple stamps and more
Take the kids on a walk to forage for leaves, twigs and pinecones, then kick off your wellies, make a hot chocolate and get stuck in to some autumn crafting together. All of our projects are easy enough for little ones to make, and they're budget-friendly too, as they use either natural materials or bits from the recycling box. For more fun craft ideas great for when the weather starts getting cold, read our guide to indoor activities for kids. Cooking with kids is a great way to entertain your little ones. Check out our kids’ cooking recipes and kids’ baking recipes for ideas on easy meals and bakes that can help kids’ confidence grow in the kitchen. If you want to help your kids learn basic cooking skills, watch our kids' kitchen cooking tutorials to help them learn chopping and pan-frying, to weighing and measuring ingredients. A great way to release kids' creativity and some of their energy is to create instruments from your recycling. Check out our guide on instruments kids can make for inspiration. If you’re looking for a more peaceful pastime, why not help them throw an afternoon tea? Or run through our fun yoga for kids' practice. 1. Upcycled fox This fantastic fox is made from a cardboard toilet roll tube and two cupcake cases – simply add beads or googly eyes to bring him to life.Takes 30 mins plus drying time You will need newspaper orange paint paintbrushes toilet roll tube 2 white cupcake cases 3 black beads glue What to do Lay down newspaper to protect the work surface. Paint the toilet roll tube orange and leave to dry. Open both cupcake cases out flat, fold both in half, then a quarter and then in half again. To make the face, open one of the cases back out so that it is in a quarter-fold with a crease down the middle. Glue the inside folded quarters flat together. To make the tail, glue the second case together so you have a thinner cone shape. Paint the two folded cupcake cases orange, leaving the tips unpainted for the tail and nose. Leave to dry, then turn over and paint the undersides. Leave to dry. Once the body is dry, create the ears by pressing the top front and the top back of the tube in towards the centre. Glue two beads onto the face for eyes and another for the nose. Stick the fox’s face to its body and glue the tail in place at the back, pointy side out. 2. Pinecone mouse These mice are easy enough for even the littlest hands to make – help them cut the ears and feet from felt, then let them glue everything in place. If you don't have felt, you could also use our playdough recipe to make the ears, feet and nose.Takes 15 mins You will need pinecone light brown felt small square of card glue scissors small pink pom-pom What to do Cut two small circles from the felt to make ears, then cut a small square from the felt that's about the same size as the base of the pinecone. Stick the felt square to the card and cut out a small base with two indented feet at the front. Glue the pinecone to the base and stick the pom-pom at the front for a nose before gluing the ears in place. 3. Apple stamps We've used halved apples to make a simple pumpkin-shaped stamp and a little herb leaf to make a stalk – perfect for homemade invitations to your Halloween or Bonfire Night party.Takes 15 mins You will need newspaper apple orange paint plain white cards plain white sticker label black marker pen scissors small herb leaf, like sage or bay glue contrasting card What to do Lay down newspaper to protect the work surface. Slice an apple through the middle and dip in some orange paint. Ensure it is coated well – you may want to use a paintbrush to coat the apple. Print pumpkin shapes onto the cards and leave to dry. Draw eyes and mouths onto your white sticker label with a marker pen and cut out. Once the pumpkin prints are dry, peel the sticker backing off the eyes and mouths and stick them onto your pumpkins. Glue a leaf to the top of each pumpkin and cut a small triangle from contrasting card to stick to the corner of the invitation. Add a little message in pen at the bottom. Read our handy Halloween guides if you're planning a spooky party: How to throw a kids' Halloween party Halloween recipes to make with the kids 4. Eggbox owl Thread ribbon through this cheerful owl and hang him from your child’s bedroom ceiling or a classroom wall. Raid the recycling box for egg cartons and wooden forks!Takes 1 hr plus drying time You will need newspaper empty egg carton, preferably brown scissors brown, white and orange paints black and brown pens 2 wooden forks 2 white cupcake wrappers glue orange felt, cut into a triangle-shaped beak ribbon shredded paper or paper straw (optional) What to do Lay down newspaper to protect the work surface. To make the ears, cut in half the small semicircular flap from the side of the egg carton where it overlaps and closes. Paint the two ears brown and leave to dry. Flip the carton over so the bumpy base is facing upwards – this will be the front of your owl. Paint two white circles for eyes in a mask shape. Once the paint is dry, add black circles for eyes with a pen. Next, paint the body of the owl brown and the wooden forks orange. Leave to dry. Flatten the cupcake cases, fold in half, then a quarter, then in half again. Stick the insides together so that you have two ruffled wings. Use a pen to colour the wings brown on both sides. Once everything is dry, open the egg carton and stick the ears to the bottom half of the carton in the top corners. An adult should help with this step. Cut two narrow slits in the bottom of the carton where the legs will go. Insert your forks into these slits. Keeping the carton closed, use the scissors to poke a hole through the top centre of the owl between the ears – this is for your ribbon. Thread your ribbon through the hole and tie a knot. If you have holes in your egg boxes, fill them with shredded paper or paper straw. Stick the felt beak in place and glue the wings on to finish. Think this owl project is a hoot? Try our brilliant chocolate owl cake and yummy hooting Halloween owl cupcakes. 5. Painted leaf collage Collect different leaves and twigs on a family walk, then use them to make your own creative collage. Takes 20 mins plus drying time You will need newspaper white card assorted paints sponge or paintbrush leaves and twigs glue coloured pens Lay down newspaper to protect the work surface. Paint a backdrop for your scene – we used a sponge to paint patches of blue sky on our card. Glue down the leaves and twigs to make whatever characters and shapes you like. Leave to dry. Add details to the leaves with paints or coloured pens. You can add eyes and faces to your characters, or have fun with patterns and details. Discover more ways to keep kids busy: Indoor activities for kids Rainy day cookies projects for kids How to make paper mache How to make a bath bomb Top 5 easy bakes for kids Top DIY Christmas crafts What are you favourite autumn crafts for kids? Leave a comment below...
If you're finding mealtimes a family struggle, don't worry. We've pulled together tips to help mealtimes run smoothly and make healthy eating easy for everyone.
Family mealtimes are an opportunity to come together and share a healthy dinner while hearing about each other’s days. With our busy lives, this is especially important – but it can be hard to get everyone together and avoid rushing. It’s also often tricky to find meals that both kids and parents enjoy, particularly if a little one is going through a fussy eating phase. Catering for different tastes and appetites, especially on tight family budgets, can also be a challenge. Our tips aim to bring a little calm and order to family meals, and give you some ideas for new family favourite meals for those hectic weeknights. Try our family recipe collections, from best family batch-cooking recipes to our speedy family budget meal plan. Tips for family mealtimes 1. Make a healthy family meal plan Drawing up a weekly meal plan and writing a shopping list brings calm to busy weeknights, saving you both time and money while cutting food waste. Plan meals according to ingredients you already have in the fridge, freezer and kitchen cupboards, prioritising those that need using up first. Stick the meal plan on the fridge so that everyone in the family knows what’s for dinner tonight. Take into account everyone’s schedule for the week when planning so that you know who’s eating what and when. Batch cook when you have the time so that you can be one step ahead on nights when you don’t. Plan dinners that can be turned into lunches for some of you, too, the next day. 2. Choose food your fussy child will eat with you Although fussy eating is common in kids, it can put a huge amount of strain on family mealtimes. Making food for you all to share can take the pressure off, giving kids the autonomy to choose those ingredients they fancy from a selection, while also leaving the option to have a small taste on the side of something new. Food to share needn’t be complicated: think one-pan nachos, traybakes or crudités and dips. 3. Look for family budget recipes Read our priceless tips for reducing cooking costs. Create a list of budget options you can cook using staples from the back of your kitchen cupboards such as tinned tomatoes or pulses, pasta and grains. Get two family members to input the same food shop into different online supermarkets at the same time so you can compare which is cheapest on like-for-like before hitting purchase. Check out our helpful family recipe collections. 4. Get the kids cooking Designate different members of the family to cook on certain nights, be that older children or parents. Younger kids can help set the table, clear away and get involved in meal prep. Don’t forget the importance of old fashioned table manners. Give everyone the chance to have input on what and how the family eats in exchange for pulling their weight with the tasks involved in getting a home-cooked meal on the table. Try monthly themed nights, like Mexican or meat-free night, where you try new cuisines or ingredients to make a special occasion of dinner together. To help you get started, we have healthy kids' recipes, kids' cooking recipes and family-friendly meal ideas. 5. Know what equipment you need for cooking on a budget Gadgets including slow cookers and air fryers can be more energy efficient, while chopping veg with a box grater or food processor will save you valuable time. Invest in reusable freezer boxes, or pyrex dishes that can go straight from the freezer to the oven. To make the most of your slow cooker, check out our 10 budget slow cooker recipes and the best slow cookers for faff-free meals. 6. Make full use of your freezer From freezable pesto to cottage pie and pasta bakes, meals from your freezer stash can be a life-saver for time-poor families. A top tip when batch cooking is to freeze dishes or sauces in different portion sizes – that way you can defrost only what you need on any given day, perhaps just for two of you or for a whole family. 7. Find speedy family recipes For days when you know you’re going to be especially short on time or energy to cook, have a few made-in-minutes meals you can rely on. For breakfast this could be a two-minute smoothie, for lunch a 10-minute couscous salad and, for dinner, minestrone in minutes. Check out our recipe collections of five-minute meals and 15-minute meals. 8. Meal prep in advance Get into the habit of meal prepping at the weekend when you have a moment and weeknights will become that little bit easier – and healthier – for you all. You can meal prep pasta or rice salads, traybakes and soups, protein pots and Buddha bowls – find out how in our healthy meal prepping guide. 9. Switch off screens at mealtimes In a world of screens it’s easy to let tech use creep in at the table but evidence shows that we pay more attention to appetite and feelings of fullness when we focus on our food without scrolling or watching TV. It’s not just about portion control – we also tend to make more healthy food choices when we’re less distracted. Plus, shovelling down food while focused on a screen doesn’t aid digestion or family conversation! 10. Have a back-up plan The best laid meal plans don’t always work out, especially during hectic family lives where children get unexpectedly sick, commuter trains get cancelled or work meetings run over. Have a few wholesome meals stockpiled for times you need to pull a rabbit out of a hat and feed you all when something unexpected happens. Bookmark these healthy storecupboard recipes or check out our 10 best freezable vegetarian meals to have to hand when you're short of time. Liked this? Discover more family eating tips… Why mindful eating is important for families Sugar addiction and children 30 easy ways to give kids five-a-day The best cookbooks for kids Top 15 after-school snacks for kids All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.
Why mindful eating is important for families
Eating mindfully can help children develop healthy eating habits. Here are five tips to ensure the whole family enjoys mealtimes
What is mindfulness? Do you ever feel that you’re racing between home, school, work and the kids’ activities, without coming up for air? Mindfulness is an approach, a bit like meditation, that encourages us to pause and take a moment to reflect on what’s going on around us and how we are feeling. Both kids and adults alike can learn techniques that will help them to live more mindfully and become calmer and more centred. Try our mindfulness exercises for kids, or discover more of our health guides, from the benefits of walking, to information on intuitive eating. Why is mindfulness important at mealtimes? When we’re busy, it’s easy to eat on the go, rushing meals before getting on with the next part of our day. Mindful eating centres on trying to slow down at mealtimes, removing distractions and taking time to enjoy the food in front of us. A growing body of research suggests that this more thoughtful approach to eating may be associated with making more nutritious choices. In other words, if we stop to think about it, we’re less likely to refuel quickly on junk and more likely to give our bodies the goodness we need to function at our best. When we slow down to eat, we also help our stomach digest, our minds settle and our tastebuds savour our food. If we can find techniques to help us eat more mindfully, our habits around mealtimes can drastically improve. And, while it’s probably unrealistic for us to adopt mindful eating at every mealtime, we can still reap the benefits whenever we do have the opportunity. Five tips to help your family with mindful eating 1. Eat together at the table Sitting down to share a meal together is one of life’s most straightforward pleasures. Family meals are a simple way to connect, hear about one another’s days and help children both learn about food and build healthy relationships around eating. Furthermore, while we all love family movie night on the sofa sometimes, eating at the table encourages better posture, which in turn aids digestion. 2. Make time for meals Even on busy days, try to break from whatever you’re all doing to eat, even if you can only afford a few moments. Hurrying over food and shovelling it down on the go doesn’t give your body time to digest. Planning ahead by prepping nutritious snacks or healthy lunchboxes can lend you all a little more time to actually eat, rather than grabbing last-minute at the first food available (often not the healthiest choice). When we’re tired and hungry, we also often make less wholesome choices – so meal-prepping ahead can mean sticking to healthier habits. Find a quiet moment each weekend to plan meals, write a shopping list and organise yourself for the week ahead. It’ll save you money and pay dividends on hectic weeknights when you can come home to a pre-planned, nutritious meal rather than fretting about what to cook at the last minute. 3. Stick to regular mealtimes Teenagers in particular can develop irregular mindless eating patterns, skipping breakfast, grazing through the day and snacking late at night. Sugary biscuits or junk food snacks lead to short-term energy spikes followed by blood-sugar crashes. Conversely, eating substantial meals based on complex carbohydrates will give them the sustained energy they need for the day, as well as regulating their mood, improving sleep and aiding concentration. A nutritious day’s meals could be overnight oats for breakfast (which can be prepped ahead), a Buddha bowl for lunch and veggie-loaded noodles for dinner. 4. Avoid eating in front of screens When we look at a screen while eating – whether it’s a laptop, smartphone or television – we pay less attention to what we’re eating and miss cues associated with appetite and satiety. Think about the last time you went to the cinema and ate through a tub of popcorn without really noticing. It’s very easy to eat without savouring the food or realising you’ve eaten enough. If we remove distractions, we tend to stick to sensible portions, as well as relishing the food in front of us. 5. Enjoy your food! Teach your kids the life skill of cooking, and get them to help with meal prep. Try different cuisines, ingredients or cooking techniques, and eat out together. Visit food markets and take cooking classes with one another. Be a role model for healthy eating, so your kids learn the value of good nutrition. Ensure they know the difference between junk and whole foods as they grow up, but also let them know that chocolate and kale both have a place in a balanced diet. The more you all value healthy food, the more time you’ll take to appreciate it, and the more your body will thank you. Enjoyed this? Now try: Mindfulness tips for working from home Freezable family recipes Family-friendly recipe ideas How much exercise do children need? 5 ways to encourage children to try new foods All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.
What is the fourth trimester and why is it important? Nutritionist and family writer Emily Kerrigan explains what you need to know, and shares advice for new parents
The postnatal phase following the birth of a baby is sometimes called the fourth trimester. It’s an opportunity for mother and child to be looked after as they recover – and nutrition plays an important part in this. Eating well after giving birth has many benefits, but it can be hard to prioritise alongside the demands of caring for a newborn. This guide explains the value of good nutrition during the fourth trimester, and provides practical tips for eating a healthy diet when free time and energy are in short supply. Discover all you need to know about pregnancy, including what you can't eat, a healthy pregnancy diet and what your food cravings really mean. Why is it important for new mums? Not only does good nutrition support a mother’s recovery after birth, it also boosts immunity, replenishing nutrient stores and supporting overall well-being. New mothers should focus on a balanced diet that's rich in nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables; energy-giving, fibre-rich wholegrains; lean proteins and healthy fats. Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals and fibre to alleviate constipation, which may occur postpartum. Opt for lean proteins such as poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and legumes, as these are essential for tissue repair and growth. Good sources of energy-rich, healthy fats include oily fish, avocados, nuts, seeds and olive oil. It may seem easiest to refuel with biscuits for a quick sugary fix, especially when you’re exhausted, but processed foods offer negligible nutritional value. It can be just as quick to reach for a piece of fresh fruit or nut butter on an oatcake, and these will provide more sustained energy and nutrients to better support your recovery. Be gentle with yourself though. Now is not the time to aim for the perfect diet – just try to fuel yourself well whenever you can. Why is it important for baby? If you are breastfeeding your baby, you should limit alcohol and caffeine, as these substances can pass into breast milk. Nursing mums require increased fluids to support milk production, often as much as an extra three or four glasses a day. Water is ideal, although other drinks count. Nursing mothers should follow a balanced diet, paying particular attention to increased calcium (in dairy products or fortified plant milks). Although two portions of oily fish such as salmon or mackerel are recommended as part of this balanced diet, limit your intake to just two if you are breastfeeding. You can read more, including nutritious meal suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, in our breastfeeding guide. 3 things to know about the fourth trimester 1. Although getting back into your pre-baby clothes may be on your wish list, the fourth trimester is not the time to try to lose weight. Your body requires sufficient energy to get through tiring days and sleepless nights. New mums need between 1,800 and 2,200 calories a day, and 500 calories on top of this if breastfeeding. 2. Not eating properly can leave parents feeling drained, compounding the cycle of broken sleep and nighttime feeds. Don’t fret if you don’t manage to eat well for a few days – just eat more healthily when you can. Your newborn needs you functioning as well as possible, so ask friends or family for help when you need it. 3. Try swapping large, square meals for small, frequent snacks if this works better with juggling your newborn. Hummus and mashed avocado with veg crudités or peanut butter on wholegrain toast are easy, nutritious choices. Fibre-rich and filling jacket potatoes require little to no preparation and can be baked while you get on with looking after your little one. Wholesome soups, whether shop-bought or homemade, are an excellent standby. 5 nutrition tips for parents with newborns 1. If baby is being exclusively breastfed, partners can find ways to do their bit while the new mum has her hands full breastfeeding. Food prepping for the two of you is invaluable: think easy, prep-ahead meals that keep in the fridge until she can get to them, like overnight oats, salads and soups. 2. If family or friends are visiting, ask if they can bring something – prepared food is always welcome. New parent meal boxes make fantastic presents, too. 3. If someone has time to stock the freezer with pre-prepped food, try our best family batch-cook recipes and beginners’ guide to batch-cooking. 4. Fill your cupboards with long-life staples, such as pouches of rice and grains or wholemeal tortilla wraps. You can supplement these with easy to prepare fresh ingredients, such as chopped salad vegetables, pre-cooked lean protein, grated cheese or pesto. Canned tomatoes and pulses can become the bases to nourishing meals. Frozen fruits make nutrient-rich smoothies with yogurt, nut butter or oats. Prawns and peas can be cooked straight from frozen in speedy egg-fried rice, while eggs themselves are a nutritious, fast food. 5. Make no-cook energy bites that can easily be eaten with one hand during feeds or when you go out with the pram. Bags of nutrient-dense nuts and seeds do the same job. Above all, be gentle with yourself and enjoy this precious time with your newborn baby. And, remember, individual requirements vary, so always consult your GP or a registered nutritionist for tailored advice. Like this? Now try: All you need to know about pregnancy What can't I eat when pregnant? Five nutrients every woman needs What is folic acid? Healthy kids' recipes All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. 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