Bake “Get Out the Mad” Cookies
Talking about feelings and having a plan to manage those big feelings can help your child know what to do when they face frustrating challenges. When your child is feeling calm, ask if they remember a time when they were angry or frustrated. What did they do or want to do when they felt angry?
Explain that there are things they can do when they're angry besides shouting or hitting. For example, when Daniel and his friends get mad, they practice taking a deep breath and counting to four. Kneading and pounding on clay, play-dough, or even cookie dough is another way to talk through and deal with feelings like anger and frustration.
Talk about your feelings together while you make this recipe. Tip: The cookies taste better the more you pound on the dough!
Materials
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ask your child to help measure out the ingredients. This is a great opportunity to talk about reading numbers and following directions carefully.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Give your child a manageable chunk of dough. It’s okay for your child to mash it, knead it, and pound it. The longer and harder your child mixes the dough, the better the cookies taste!
When the mixing is done, show your child how to roll the dough into balls about the size of ping-pong balls, and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes.
Next time your child is feeling overwhelmed or angry, suggest making these “Get Out the Mad” cookies. Even if they don't want to at first, you can get the dough started and see if they're interested in helping you pound the dough!
We hope you had fun together! Snap a photo of you and your child doing the activity and share it with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. We’d love to see how it turned out!
Want more “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” activities? Check out the Make a Silly Folded Picture craft and the Practice SUPER Morning and Bedtime Routines activity to continue the fun!
Photography by MJ Jackson of What MJ Loves.
Emotions & Self-Awareness
- Activity Type
- Recipe
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