I love play dates and kids can’t wait to have guests over, but how to decrease post-guest cleanup? If you are getting ready for the Christmas season and looking for something fun and productive to do with kids, we have a couple things to share – both involve M&Ms, games, and a little creativity.
With the weather outside colder, we spend more and more time indoors and that means we actually have to think ahead how to keep the kids constructively busy. If mom doesn’t plan ahead, it can result in something like this? Who plays like this? My kids do (even so they did try to blame their guests for the damage).
Party Idea: Pixel Art
Get kids excited by making their own pixel art using M&Ms. I recently went to the local Walmart and my stop at the candy aisle resulted in nearly getting one of everything: from pretzel M&M’s to peanut butter M&Ms with everything in between – just close your eyes and pick one (or maybe one of each – I have a lot of Christmas stockings to fill!).
Make sure to find great containers for M&M pieces – either separate them by color in a muffin pan or put the entire color variety on a big baking sheet
Sure, you might lose some candy in the process (because true artists get hungry while working on their masterpieces), but you might be surprised how far their creativity can take them.
Party Idea: Decorating Cupcake
Rather than just letting kids eat their candy or cupcakes, make them work for it. Kids as young as 3 can help to make cupcakes and it is the simplest things to do. Best part of the project is cupcake decorating. Don’t be judgmental – just let them have fun with it and check out our recipe of the whole wheat banana cupcakes at the bottom of this post.
Christmas Tree Cupcake
You know you want to make your own cupcake, but are brave enough to do it with the kids still around? I wait for kids to be someplace else when I try to get crafty in the kitchen. Here are my fancy creations (Scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe).
Ready for more fun?
My husband and I might of gone a bit crazy competing for the most creative pictures using M&Ms
Steering Wheel 8 pixel art
Racing Helmet 8 pixel Art
Wrench, bolt, and nut 8 pixel art
- CUPCAKES:
- 3 bananas (Ripe)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsps sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 4 tbsps of melted butter
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 tsps baking powder
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- TOPPER:
- Sugar Cones
- Green frosting or vanilla frosting with green food coloring
- M&Ms
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the first 7 ingredients and mix well
- In a bowl combine the Baking Powder and Whole Wheat Flour.
- Add the content created in the step 2 to the bowl and mix well.
- Grease muffin pans or prepare paper liners.
- Fill each Muffin cavity to ¾ full.
- Place in the oven. After about 8 minutes, turn the oven off and leave the cupcakes in the oven for another 7 minutes. Do not open the oven door until you are ready to remove the cupcakes at the 15 minute mark.
- If you are using paper liners, immediately turn the cupcakes out of the muffin tray. Otherwise, allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tray, then remove.
- For the Christmas Tree Toppers:
- Place a sugar cone on top of each cupcake and press into the cupcake firmly. Ice the entire cone with green frosting. Decorating the trees is entirely up to you—just have fun with it!
That looks like such yummy fun, doesn’t it? I’d be one of the snackers too!
I loved the M&M idea for creativity! It sure will make everything fun for kids, especially with that variety of colors. You did wonderful here Lena. I’ll sure use this to my snuggle angel’s party!