This cookie decorating activity is a delightful way to help your kids enjoy a creative hands-on project.
With basic craft supplies, you can easily put together this activity tray that’s fantastic for summer fun, celebrating a holiday, learning about the Letter C, or simply a screen-free activity that keeps little hands busy. Your children will have a blast using simple materials like cardboard circles, foam frosting, beads, and pom poms to make their own cute cookies again and again!
I’m sharing my tips and ideas based on my experiences using this fun DIY cookie activity with my boys. There are so many ways to customize the project based on the season, holiday, or just because!
A Mess-Free Way to Enjoy Cookie Decorating with Kids
After sharing our easy felt cookie crafts, I remembered another cookie-themed project that my boys and I thoroughly enjoyed. This project was so simple to organize and reusable. Plus, it was something I could easily pull out when I needed a quiet moment or a few extra minutes to catch my breath.
We used this DIY cookie decorating tray as a sort of learning center. It became an invitation to play with hands-on fun that was always ready to go. I loved that the tray helped keep the pieces contained and that my boys could jump in and decorate to their heart’s content.
One of the amazing things about this activity tray is how flexible it is! With just a few tweaks, we used it throughout the year. It was perfect during the holidays when we were doing real cookie baking. And it was also fun for birthdays, summer play, or a rainy day inside.
The boys made all sorts of cool cookies. Traditional sugar cookies with Christmas trees. Black cookies with googly eyes and pipe cleaner legs for a Halloween spider. Birthday cookies with the age of the special boy. My favorite was a fancy coffee cookie that they made with felt, sequins, and cotton for foam!
If you’re looking for an easy-peasy way to encourage creativity and connection, you’re going to love this cookie decorating tray for year-round fun!
Suggested Supplies for Your Cookie Decorating Tray
One of the best things about this cookie decorating project for kids is that it’s totally customizable with whatever craft supplies you have on hand. No need to make a special run to the store (unless you want to). I’ll share a few fun supply ideas below if you need some inspiration to get started. Here’s a list, but feel free to mix and match:
- Cardboard circles (about cookie-sized)
- Craft foam sheets (cut into frosting shapes)
- Beads (fun shapes like hearts, stars, and flowers)
- Brown and white foam rectangles (to represent chocolate chips)
- Pom poms (small ones for “sprinkles”)
- Sequins
- Pipe cleaner pieces
- Cotton balls
- Buttons
- Yarn, string, ribbon
- Tray or divided container to organize all the decorations
You can also throw in seasonal extras like jingle bells, mini erasers, and felt shapes for more pretend toppings. It’s all about making it work for your crew and sparking creativity!
Ideas for Setting Up and Using Your Cookie Decorating Tray
- Set Up the Decorating Tray: Place all the decorations in a tray or divided container so kids can easily access the toppings.
- Decorate the Cookies: Give each child a few cardboard circles to use as cookies.
- Let them choose pieces to place on top.
- Kids can then add beads, chocolate chip pieces, and pom poms to decorate their cookies any way they like.
- Redecorate Again and Again: Since nothing is glued down, kids can remove the pieces and start over as many times as they want. It’s great for building fine motor skills and encouraging creativity.
Creative Ways to Enjoy Your Cookie Decorating Activity
- Cookie Challenges: Make it a game! Call out decorating prompts like:
- Make a cookie with only three toppings
- Design a holiday cookie
- Use your favorite color
- Write challenge cards to keep in the tray for kids to pick at random
- Seasonal Switch-Ups: Rotate your tray supplies based on the season or holiday. For example, you can include:
- Fall: add felt leaves, orange/yellow/red/brown colors, mini acorns
- Winter: include snowflake sequins, white pom poms, jingle bells
- Valentine’s Day: use heart beads, red/pink foam, glitter
- Birthday: bright colors, star beads, mini candles (foam or paper)
- Cookie Shop Pretend Play: Enjoy a fun cookie bakery! Add order forms, play money, and menus. Let your kids take orders, decorate, and sell their creations.
- Make a Cookie Catalog: Take pictures of your kids’ cookies and help them put together a “Cookie Creations” booklet. It’s a fun way to document their work.
- Use as part of your National Cookie Day celebration (December 4). It’s also great for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (August 4).
Frequently Asked Questions About This Cookie Activity for Kids
This cookie decorating tray works great for preschool through early elementary ages. Older kids (and adults ) can enjoy it, too! Just adjust the small parts based on your child’s age and supervision needs.
Nope – unless you want to! That’s the beauty of it – it’s an open-ended and repeatable activity. Kids can decorate, redecorate, and get creative over and over again. If you’d like to make permanent cookies, you can always add glue later.
We used a simple divided tray from the dollar store, but a muffin tin, lunchbox with compartments, or even a small box with dividers would work. It doesn’t have to be fancy!
Absolutely! Try red and green supplies for Christmas, pastel colors for spring, or even favorite colors for a birthday party. It’s easy to swap out supplies for different themes and holidays.
I recommend storing the pieces in zip-top bags or small containers inside the tray, so everything stays organized and ready to go. It makes setup and cleanup super simple.
A Simple and Sweet Way to Spark Creativity
This cookie decorating activity tray is such a budget-friendly way to provide your kids with a creative activity. It’s perfect for quiet time, a learning center, or just an easy break from routine.
So go ahead and gather those supplies, set up your tray, and invite your kids to decorate their own cookies!
Do you have any questions for me about this cookie decorating activity? Oh, and I’d love to hear all about your experiences with it! Make sure to come back when you have a chance and let me know how it goes!
