The best day of the year is finally approaching — Pancake Day! Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is a great way to get little kids involved in Easter traditions.
There is lots of family fun to be had on this delicious day, from cooking together to playing games. We’ve gathered our seven favourite ideas for celebrating Pancake Day with a little one to inspire you.
7 fun Pancake Day ideas
- Make homemade pancakes together
Sometimes the best ideas are the most simple ones. Making pancakes together at home is a tasty and easy way to get little ones involved with Pancake Day celebrations.
Whether you prefer thick American-style pancakes or thin crepes, you only need a few ingredients and 10 minutes to whip up a delicious meal. Older kids can even help out by mixing the eggs, flour and milk together!
Make sure to serve this tasty treat with kid-appropriate toppings, including golden syrup, whipped cream, chopped strawberries and lemon juice. If you’re celebrating with a weaning baby, cut up their pancakes and serve them on a handy suction plate.
- Use fun moulds
Take breakfast to the next level by cooking your pancakes in a shaped mould! Pancake moulds and griddles come in various shapes, including hearts and character designs, which are sure to put a smile on your little one’s face.
- Have a pancake decorating competition
Ready. Set. Decorate! Make this pancake day one your tot will remember by challenging their friends and family to a pancake decorating contest.
All you need is a batch of pancakes and a selection of decorations, such as chocolate syrup, mini marshmallows and fruit. Use your imagination and get ready to have some fun!
- Organise a pancake relay race
We know we’re not meant to play with our food, but can we have a pass for Pancake Day?
Combining tasty food with a race is a great way to keep the kids active. A pancake relay race is simple to set up: all you need is an open space like a garden or park and a stack of pancakes.
The rules are simple: Each team of four has a stack of pancakes on one side of the garden and an empty plate on the other. The first team to pass all their pancakes down the line relay style without eating any of them wins!
This is also a great way to honour the many pancake races held around the country on Shrove Tuesday.
- Set up a pancake-tasting session
Pancake Day is a great opportunity to introduce kids to new flavours. Pancakes are super versatile, with lots of different variations to try, including classic blueberry, sweet cinnamon and intriguing beetroot pancakes.
To keep mess to a minimum, separate your batter into five batches, and add different fruit, flavour or spice to each.
- Play a silly game
If you’ve got leftover pancake batter, why not have some fun with a silly game?
‘Pancake toss’ is easy to set up and will have the whole family in fits of laughter. All you need is a stack of pancakes and a plastic plate. You’ll get your tot giggling in no time as they run around trying to catch the flying pancakes on their plate.
- Teach them about the history of Pancake Day
Pancake Day isn’t just a fantastic opportunity to eat delicious food. It’s also an important day in the Christian calendar, representing the traditional feast day held before Lent began on Ash Wednesday.
But why pancakes? Shrove Tuesday was the last day people could use their eggs and butter before starting their fast. And what better way to do so than by making pancakes?
While you’re mixing up the pancake batter, take the time to teach your child or children about the history of this special day.
Make Pancake Day extra sweet
Children love Pancake Day, whether you’re preparing for Lent or just enjoy gobbling up sweet pancakes, making it a wonderful time to spend with family.
Spending quality time together is the most important part of any celebration, so capture the moment they try their first pancake or catch a flying crepe on a plate with a sweet photograph displayed in a personalised photo frame or scrapbook.
And don’t forget to show us how you spent your Pancake Day on social media! Use the hashtag #my1styears or @my1styears on Instagram so we can see what your and your little ones get up to!