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Making cookies with grandkids or other littles in your life can be a fun, festive way to get into the holiday spirit.
But before you start pulling out the sugar and lining the baking pans, take a moment to make sure the recipe and the kiddo are a good match — so you’re set up for fun, not frustration.
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“Activities that are developmentally appropriate provide the right balance of challenge with reinforcement of some level of mastery and competency,” says Katie Stallman, a licensed clinical social worker.
Kids need to feel that they can succeed at the activity, she adds, and that the “success is worth celebrating.”
Stallman emphasizes that there are no hard and fast rules for what kids can do at each age, so it’s best to “tune in to the child and find out what they need to stay interested.”
She says some general guidelines for age groups could be helpful.
“Preschoolers generally will love sensory play and getting their hands involved,” Stallman says. “School-age kids may be more focused on following directions and putting their creative spin on it. And teens may be most interested in sampling and photographing their culinary masterpiece.”
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