Getting children involved in the kitchen can be a fun way to spend time with them while teaching valuable skills about cooking and nutrition. Using a favorite food such as pizza is an easy way to "lure" them in. Pizza and pizza dough recipes will get kids interested in cooking and result in a tasty dish the whole family will love.
Before you get started, it may be helpful to review Making Pizza with Kids. It offers safety tips that you need to remember when cooking with children. It also provides ideas on how to integrate learning with pizza making. Not only will your project result in a tasty treat, children can also learn about measuring ingredients and nutrition for your pizza dough recipes.
Disney's Family Fun offers a Perfect Pizza Dough Recipe and provides simple tips on how to involve children, such as assigning kids the role of kneading. They also offer the Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe, which is ideal for a stuffed pizza crust. Cooking with Kids has a Double Dough recipe that has very detailed instructions. If you would like specifics on how to attack this cooking project, this would be a great resource to use. If you are a visual learner or want to show your children what you'll be doing, check out Activity TV's How to Make Pizza Dough. Kid Craft Central also offers a pizza dough recipe.
Once your dough is complete, if you are interested in keeping this project homemade and "from scratch," consider making your sauce. Family Fun also offers a recipe for Super Quick Pizza Sauce. After you've completed the sauce, just add your favorite toppings! Rachel Ray also provides a "how-to" on making pizza with kids.
Making pizza isn't just a fun activity for your family – it can also be a fun activity for a sleepover or birthday party. Kids Cooking Activities gives tips on making homemade pizza with a group of kids and provides printable homemade pizza dough recipe cards for each child. Also provided is a "to-do" list that includes what you need to purchase, from ingredients to aprons and chef hats. There is also a recipe for making a dessert cookie pizza.
As you plan your special pizza making activity with your kids, you'll not only be spending quality time with them in the kitchen, you'll be teaching them how to make a favorite treat from scratch using fresh, healthy ingredients. The end result will be a dish that everyone will be proud of and will enjoy eating.