Let's Have a Pancake Playdate!
Celebrate National Pancake Day with a fun playdate! Officially, there are two each year, February 21 and September 26. You might want to celebrate both! Of course, if you miss the official celebration day, you can have a pancake playdate almost any time.
We’ve gathered several ideas for you to choose from. Just choose one book, an activity, and a question that is age-appropriate for your grandchild, gather your supplies, and start playing!
How To Create Your Own Playdatebox
Choose a Book, Choose an Activity, Choose a Question
Start your Playdatebox by choosing one picture book your grandchild will love. Of course, the best way to do this is to choose a book that you love! This will be the anchor leg of your play date. When we play in-person, I make sure that we have more than one book to choose from. If you are playing remotely, I always recommend that the child has access to a full-size book, if possible. I like sending my long-distance grandchildren a physical copy in a Playdatebox I build and ship to them. Alternatively, I can arrange with their parents to check out a copy from their local library, or I find an online version to read as I share my screen in a videoconference.
Almost everything I put in a Playdatebox that I take when I visit grandchildren physically can also be used remotely. Watch for “How To Do This Remotely” hints if you are connecting long-distance.
Choose a Favorite Book About Pancakes
You’ll find a list of all of our favorite pancake books right here!
I’ve also included a short synopsis of each book. Just choose one that is age-appropriate for your children or grandchildren.
Long-Distance Grandkids? Try Making Lion Pancakes
These simple, fun lion pancakes are inspired by Angie Holden at thecountrychiccottage.net. With a little bit of assistance from the parents on the other end of your video call, you can make Lion Pancakes together on your next video call. All of the instructions for Lion Pancakes are available here. I recommend you start with a reading of Mama Panya’s Pancakes (see the recommended book list for this Playdate), and then you can talk about all kinds of interesting things during your call. Where is Kenya? Are there lions in Kenya? How were Adika’s pancakes different from ours?
Check Pinterest for lots of fun pancake variations. This is a fun way to introduce picky eaters to new foods, and older kids can design their own totally unique creations using things they find at home in the pantry and the refrigerator.
Activity Idea #1: Try some Pancake Art!
Pancake art is a fun YouTube sensation that many believe began with a young father, Nathan Shields, making Saturday morning pancakes with his kids. Nathan made his pancakes using plain batter. By adding it in sections, the batter browned to different shades on the griddle (light in some places and dark in others). When he flipped them over, the pancakes looked like gorillas, dogs, and dozens of other animals. He began posting his ideas on YouTube, and over time, pancake artists all over the world have perfected the techniques, including adding color to the batter.
The results are pretty stunning! This fun “craft” project makes a great Playdate activity for you and your grandchildren. All you need are a few basic supplies and some simple instructions. You’ll find our suggestions for making pancake art with grandchildren in this blog post.
Grandkids of all ages love making pancake art. It’s a satisfying project for older kids as well. We get a little bit better at it every time we try.
Activity Idea #2: Write your own book together using our free "Short Stack" printables (Ages 3-8).
This fun downloadable book is perfect for your preschool-aged grandkids. Just print your own copies and fill in the blanks.
Do it Remotely:
You can download a copy, fill it in while you are on a phone call with your grandchild, then snail-mail the completed version to them. As an alternative, each of you can fill in your books and exchange the completed stories with one another during your call.
Sample page from “Short Stack: A Pancake Story by Me.” Each page has some fill-in-the-blank fun to help you write your very own book.
Activity Idea #3: Play the Pancake Flip Game (ages 3-7)
Grab your pancake turner and get ready for some fun with a preschooler! You’ll use your pancake turner to flip over game cards with wacky instructions sure to induce some belly laughs from the kids. Play the game remotely with long-distance grands as well!
All you’ll need is a few sheets of heavy cardstock paper for printing your own game pieces, plus a pancake turner.
Making Your Own Playdatebox
Download a printable version of all of the ideas from this Playdatebox here. If you are sending a physical box of supplies to your grandchild, it’s critical that you work together with the parents in advance so you can choose activities that will work best for their children. Working together with the parents to plan and carry out your playdates, you’ll be improving your relationship with them as well.
For in-person fun, I just keep a box of Playdate supplies ready to go so that when I do visit (or they come to visit me) we are all set! Happy Playing!
-Grandma Nae
P.S. Special thanks to Grandma RaRa who designed all of the printables for this box!
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