To do: Let your child practice using a spatula while making pancakes
Time: 30 minutes
Materials: Recipe listed below, child-friendly spatula
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For this activity, let your child wield a spatula to practice scraping the bowl while making pancakes together!

Using a tool like a spatula for a specific task is a great fine motor control builder. Your child has to grip the handle, and manipulate the spatula to do exactly what they want it to do.

This is also a concentration and task persistence builder. It requires a fair bit of concentration to accomplish scraping an entire bowl and transferring the contents.

So, let’s look at how your child can practice scraping while making pancakes. Make sure your child has an apron on when doing this activity!

Recipe to practice scraping: Pancakes!

From Martha Stewart, Old Fashioned Pancakes. She has a video as well if you’d like to watch with your family!

You’ll need:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten (which your child can do!)
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for the griddle
Maple syrup for serving

What to do:
1. Ask your child to whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. If you’re really prepared, measure these things out and have your child pour the ingredients together! For your older child, ask them to do the measuring.
2. Make a well in the center, and add the egg, milk, and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Ask your child to carefully whisk the ingredients from the center until just incorporated. Lumps are ok! Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Perhaps use this time to set the table with syrup, fruit, or whatever else your child enjoys on pancakes!
3. Now is the part where your child can practice scraping skills. And adult can get a skillet or griddle ready at medium-high heat. Use the rest of the butter along with a little oil to get your surface ready for batter. Have a 1/4 cup scoop ready to go.

While your child has the bowl of batter and scraper ready to go, you scoop our 1/4 cups of batter onto your skillet. Wait until bubbles form, and flip the pancake. Keep an eye on the heat, and turn down slightly if the pancakes are getting too brown.

Every time you take a new batch of pancakes out, your child can scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all the batter is in the bottom! When you come to the last bit, hold the bowl up while your child scrapes the batter into your 1/4 cup. Nice team work!

Enjoy a lovely pancake breakfast or brinner together.

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