Fun Pancake Day Activities For Little Chefs

Unleash your pint-sized chefs and pancake Picassos for some flipping fabulous family fun this Shrove Tuesday! This delicious celebration is a fantastic chance to spend some time together and create some Pancake Day traditions your little ones will look forward to year after year. 

Now, if you’re on the hunt for some Pancake Day ideas and inspiration, we’ve got you covered with our egg-cellent list of Pancake Day activities...  

How To Make Pancake Day Fun 

There’s so much you can do to make Pancake Day fun for your kids. You could get stuck into some messy play with a Pancake Day tuff tray, try out some Pancake Day cardboard crafts, or set the scene for a Pancake Day pretend play session. We have put together a list of our favourite Pancake Day activities to help you make special memories as a family around this tasty time of year! 

Set up a Pancake Day tuff tray

Instead of making a mess in the kitchen, let your kiddies get cracking with their pancake-making on a tuff tray! Lay out the right amount of ingredients they’ll need along with a mixing bowl, whisk, measuring jug and weighing scales, then write down what they are beneath each one (chalk is best for this as it will rub right off the tray when you’re done). 

Don’t worry if they don’t get the measurements or quantities quite right, it’s more about getting stuck in and enjoying the messy play, rather than making a perfect batter! You can always whip up your own batter beforehand if you want some pancakes for pud.

Bake pancake pops

Pancake pops are a playful alternative to traditional pancakes. And they’re super easy! Simply make your batter up as normal using our easy pancake recipe for kids, then instead of pouring the mixture into your pan, teaspoon little disks onto it and flip them over when bubbles start popping. When they’re ready, leave them to cool for a minute then insert a lollipop stick through the centre of each one. Make sure the pancake pops are about 1cm thick so they slot onto the sticks securely, then serve them warm with a side of maple syrup for dunking!  

Design a pancake decorating station

If you’re sticking with classic British or American pancakes, invite your kids to get creative with the toppings. Ideas for a DIY pancake station include bacon bites, blueberries, strawberries, sliced bananas, chocolate chips, hundreds & thousands, yoghurt, chocolate spread, peanut butter and maple syrup. Lay it all out on a low table your tots can reach, then give them the freedom to decorate their pancake however they like! 

Play pretend on Pancake Day

If your children are too young or not interested in joining in with the cooking or crafting, they can play pretend! Our kids role play range has everything they’ll need to prep a make-believe Pancake Day feast, including Wooden Scales, Flour, a 6-Pack of Eggs, Milk Cartons and Lemons. And don’t forget to dress them for the occasion in our adorable Chef’s Set (available in pink, blue or spotted). 

Paint your pancakes

Shake things up with a colourful pancake painting session! Just add a few drops of food colouring to some small tubs then stir 1 tbsp of syrup into each one, creating a rainbow of edible paint! Next, place the syrup tubs and some unused paintbrushes onto a covered table, then dish out the pancakes on paper plates and let your kiddos loose! 

Write a Pancake Day song

There’s nothing like a little sing song while you’re cooking, so why not make one up as a family? You could even bring out your kiddo’s percussion set and drop some beats! Write down the lyrics and you’ll be able to sing along every Pancake Day, making it a fun annual tradition that’ll live long in your family’s memories. 

Try some Pancake Day cardboard crafts

Setting the scene for imaginative play, kids can craft their own frying pan, pancake stack and oven out of cardboard with the help of a Makedo Starter pack. This Makedo set comes with 35 Scrus and a Scru-Driver to connect cardboard pieces and make construction easy peasy, so have a rummage through your recycling bin and get building!

An old shoebox is perfect for the oven, with cut-out cardboard rounds for the hob and milk bottle caps for the dials. Then use a sheet of cardboard to cut out a frying pan shape and small circles for the pancakes (the Makedo Safe-Saw is perfect for this!). 

Give pancake maths a go

Cut out a stack of pancake rounds from a piece of cardboard or felt. On each round, jot down a maths sum on the front and the answer to it on the back. Then your mini mathemetician can grab their frying pan, place a pancake onto it, see if they can work out the sum, then toss the pancake over to reveal if they got it right! This is a great way to make maths more fun for youngsters and will also give their hand-eye coordination a little boost. 

Go head-to-head in a pancake game

Challenge the family to some competitive pancake games! You could plan a Pancake Day scavenger hunt, play the ‘floor is lava’ with paper pancake stepping stones, race to the finish line with a stack of pancakes on your heads, or try the 60-second pancake toss (the person who flips the most pancakes within the time limit wins). Pancake Day games make marvellous family bonding activities and are great fun for all ages.

Discover Our Kitchen Play Collection

We have lots more to show you in our kitchen play collection, from the striking new Simply Scandi Kitchen to our huge range of wooden food toys. Take a look!