Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and that means many of us will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen preparing for the big feast! Your child can get involved in the fun too while creating an easy, festive, and delicious treat- apple pie in a cup. This simple recipe is perfect to create with young children, requires minimal ingredients, and better yet… very little mess! Cooking together can be a fantastic way to bond with your child and work on important communication skills together.

To make this sweet treat, you will need the following ingredients…

• 1 apple- diced into small pieces
• Graham crackers, crushed
• Cinnamon applesauce (if you just have plain applesauce, you can sprinkle cinnamon on top- the cinnamon makes it taste more like real apple pie!)
• Whipped cream
• A plastic cup

1. Crush the graham crackers in a Ziploc bag. Your child can use a rolling pin or a cup to crush the pieces. They can even use their hands to break them apart. Pour the bag of graham crackers into the bottom of the cup.

2. Pour the diced apples on top of the graham crackers in the cup.

3. Using a spoon, scoop out the applesauce and put in the cup for the next layer.

4. Finally, top it off with whipped cream. Don’t be shy, this is the best part!

While cooking, you will be sneaking in many important speech/language skills with your child. You can work on the following skills:

• Following directions: Your child will need to follow your directions to put the cup together. Break it down and use simple language to direct your child. Consider using “first/then” language (i.e. First put the apples in the cup, then get a spoon.) Make it more challenging by giving multi-step directions (ex: Open the graham cracker box, pour it in the bag, and then roll it with the pin.).
• Describing/Vocabulary: Have your child talk about what they are doing while they are making the treat. They can discuss what certain foods look like, feel like, taste like, and smell like.
• Articulation/Speech: If your child has a certain sound they are working on, ask your child to find all of the ingredients or items in the kitchen that start with their sound. You can prompt them to correct their speech sounds while engaging in conversation together throughout the activity.
• Conversational Skills: you can work on asking your child questions throughout the activity and encouraging them to ask you questions or comment in return. Talk about you and your child’s favorite ingredient or what your child had the most fun doing to make the treat. Have fun talking about a variety of cooking/food related topics together!

Hope you enjoy cooking with your little chef! Happy Thanksgiving!

Recipe from: https://www.fivehearthome.com/apple-pie-trifle-snack-cup-recipe/