This easy muffin recipe was completely made by my 2.5-year-old toddler without any help (besides me cracking the eggs and putting the tray in the oven). Teaching your toddler the skills to cook not only engages their interest to “help”, but it’s a great sensory experience, it builds up lots of new vocabulary, helps their fine motor skills, introduces them to metrics/volume mathematics and it most definitely builds up their sense of pride when people make a fuss over eating something he has made for them.

GET THEM IN THE KITCHEN EARLY: During dinner prep, he often runs over to the kitchen and stands next to me on his tippy toes looking up on the bench asking to help chop or peel veggies with me. I set up a step stool next to me and give him his own blunt plastic knife with an off-piece vegetable I will not be using. I love having my special helper next to me. He is always too curious to learn.  I show him how things change when we chop, grate, or mix things together and how things change when they are cooked. We smell things, we feel things, we taste things and most definitely discover and discuss when food is off. I learned so much from my mother teaching me to cook from an early age, so it only feels so natural to teach my son the same. 

 These delicious Healthy Toddler Muffins are great for breakfast, lunch or a snack. This is an easy muffin recipe for kids to learn to cook.  Make one batter and choose different mix-ins to get variety. 

• It is quick to make;
• Mama is happy because it’s healthy;
• Toddlers like different varieties;
• And of course, everyone devours them because they are tasty.
• Great for packed lunches.

 

---

Watch the video of my son making the muffins all on his own here….

 

---

HEY MAMMA- HERE THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START:

---

Think how much you want your toddler to do before you start, taking into consideration their abilities and experience. Don’t let them touch the oven. I stayed with my son the whole way through, verbally guiding him but not physically helping unless he asked for it (e.g. help to crack the eggs).

• For an early starter: I would pull out all the ingredients and pre-measure everything. All they have to do is pour it into the mixing bowl and stir.
• For a toddler with a little more experience (like mine): I pulled out all the ingredients and sat them all out in order needed in the recipe with the matching cups and spoons.
• For an experienced toddler: They can pull all the ingredients and equipment out of the cupboards.

I like to make a handmade recipe for them to follow, using drawings of the ingredients and what size spoon, etc to use. Drawings are great because my toddler can’t read yet, but I can still introduce the idea of following instructions.

---

WITH 1 BATTER YOU CAN GET MULTIPLE FLAVOR OPTIONS WITH THIS RECIPE.

---

DIRECTIONS:

(Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F)