This kindness activity for kids contains recipes to make rainbow sprinkle star kindness sugar cookies and the icing to go on them, but it’s not about the recipes, it’s about teaching our children to commit random acts of kindness.
Since we just moved to a new part of town, my daughter and I decided to pass sugar cookies out as a random act of kindness activity, and as a fun way to introduce ourselves to our new neighbors. It was a BIG hit!
Related: How to Use Kindness Elves to Encourage Kindness all Year
Kindness Cookie Activity for Kids
My daughter and I were inspired to make these cookies after reading “The Story of the Kindness Elves.” A beautiful book about inspiring kindness towards others in the hearts of our children. A much-needed message in the world we find ourselves in today.
We love The Kindness Elves… and now they have their own book! We were lucky enough to receive a free copy from one of the authors–Anna Ranson of the Imagination Tree.
My daughter was so inspired by the story of the kindness elves that she wanted to make rainbow sprinkle star cake’s like the elves eat for breakfast.
Related: Rainbow Science Book Activity for Kids
Rainbow Sprinkle Star Sugar Cookies
Cooking with kids is a winning homeschool activity in my book… and so much fun too! Cooking is a practical life skill that delivers many learning opportunities to the growing child.
Making cookies with kids is an easy way to capitalize on the math and science of baking. This cooking activity also provides the opportunity to develop hand-eye coordination (scoop and transfer of ingredients, cutting, and frosting cookies), and fine motor skills (decorating cookies).
Related: Making Lasagna with Kids
Rainbow Sprinkle Star Kindness Cookies Ingredients & Supplies:
We decided to use our cake mix sugar cookie recipe and our cream cheese frosting recipe for the icing. Feel free to use your own recipes if you prefer.
Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
My daughter also wanted to make some kindness elves so we used some angel cookie cutters to represent them. We ended up with 26 stars and two kindness elf angels.
- White cake mix
- 1 stick of butter (softened)
- 2 eggs
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- 4 oz (1/2 block) of cream cheese
- 1 to 2 cups of confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Don’t forget the rainbow sprinkles… any kind is perfect. We used rainbow star sprinkles and rainbow sugar sprinkles.
Kitchen supplies needed for making kindness cookies:
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Stand or hand mixer (a wooden spoon works too)
- Rolling pin
- Star shaped cookie cutter
- Large cutting, breadboard or rolling surface
- Flour
- Cookie Sheet
- Parchment Paper (optional)
- Cooling rack (optional)
- Icing spatula or butter knife
How to Make Kindness Cookies: Directions
Cooking with kids is fun! My daughter and I had a lovely time completing this book activity and kindness service project from start to finish.
We have also handed out acorn marble necklaces as a service project. Click on the link to learn how to make your own!
Related: Rainbow Yarn Art Book Activity for Kids
How to Make Rainbow Sprinkle Star Kindness Sugar Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheight.
- Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Gather the cookie ingredients and throw them all in a mixing bowl. Mix until dough forms. No need refrigerate.
- Spread a layer of flour on a large cutting board or work surface.
- Roll the dough into a ball and place on top of the flour on the cutting board. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough. Use as much flour as you need to keep dough from sticking. If you are working on a small surface divide the dough into two balls and roll out one at a time.
- Use star-shaped cookie cutter to cut cookies and place onto cookie sheet.
- Cook for 8 – 10 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool completely.
Related: Homemade Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
I recommend working in stages. We made the cookies late one afternoon, then we frosted and decorated them the next morning.
Make Cream Cheese Icing
- Add cream cheese and vanilla to mixing bowl.
- Mix in 1 to 2 cups of confectioners sugar one 1/2 cup at a time. Allow your children to practice scooping and transferring the powdered sugar into the mixing bowl to develop their hand-eye coordination. Less sugar will make a creamier icing that’s not too sweet. More sugar will produce a sweeter icing that will be a bit crispier when it dries. Be careful, too much sugar will make it so sweet your teeth will ring!
Frost Rainbow Sprinkle Star Kindness Sugar Cookies
Invite your child(ren) to frost the cookies with you. Work along side them so they can see how to do it. Young children learn best by watching others.
Decorate Kindness Cookies:
Invite your children to frost and decorate the cookies however they like.
My daughter enjoyed decorating some by hand and sprinkling with rainbow sugar.
We ended up with a total of 26 star cookies and 2 angel kindness elves.
Kindness Cookies Book Activity:
Give your rainbow sprinkle star cake kindness sugar cookies away to anyone you would like to share kindness with as a service project!
Friends, neighbors, the firemen down the street, a nursing home, or anyone else in need of kindness will be happy to receive them.
Our neighbors loved them!
Related: Books for Kids that Teach Important Life Lessons
At first, I think my daughter wanted to do this project because she knew it meant that she would get a sweetie treaty.
My proud mama moment came when I realized she was more excited about giving our rainbow sprinkle star cake kindness cookies away than she was about eating them.
We hope you enjoy making rainbow sprinkle star sugar cookies and handing them out as much as we did! National kindness day is February 17th. 😉
To find out more about The Kindness Elves and their new book click on the links.
You may also enjoy
- Books that Teach Kids Important Life Lessons
- Rainbow Yarn Art Book Activity for Kids
- Rainbow Rainy Day Art STEAM for Kids
This is such a beautiful activity to go with The Story of the Kindness Elves! I love how big hearted your daughter was and that she wanted to give them away more than eat them. What a sweeetheart! Thanks for reviewing our book in such a creative way! We shall share with the Kindness Elves community xxx