Fun Pancake Shapes for Kids
Looking for a fun way to make breakfast more exciting? These easy pancake shapes for kids turn an ordinary stack of pancakes into a creative activity the whole family can enjoy. With just a little pancake batter and a bit of imagination, you can create hearts, letters, animals, and more—making breakfast feel playful and special while letting kids help design their own shapes.
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Why We Love Making Pancake Shapes
- An edible craft! Like our painted toast and colored tortillas, we love turning food into edible art! For this craft, we used our recipe for Easy Vanilla and Cinnamon Pancakes to turn our dinner into delicious shapes!
- Fun for all ages– Kids can take ownership of the measuring, pouring and mixing. Adults might want to step in when it comes to cooking/flipping the letter pancakes, but older kids can also take the lead with some supervision.
- Practice letter writing– It took a couple of tries, but we discovered that forming fun pancakes shapes out of batter is quite easy. The trick is to form the numbers or letters backwards on the griddle, so that when you flip them over, they have a nice, brown finish.
🎉 Fun Pancake Shapes for Special Occasions
There are plenty of special occasions to make festive and easy pancake shapes! Below are a few ideas.
- Birthdays– Celebrate the birthday boy or girl by turning their pancake into their age!
- Holidays– Hearts for Valentine’s Day, candy canes for Christmas, eggs for Easter…the possibilities are endless! We spelled out “2020” a few years back, which ended up being quite the memorable year!
- Mother’s Day and Father’s Day– Kids will love spelling out “Mom” or “Dad” in honor of their parents on their special days.
- Graduations, anniversaries and more!– Celebrate the GRAD, wedding dates or any other special occasion with pancake shapes.
✂️ Supplies
Notes on supplies:
- Using a squeeze bottle to pour your batter into fun pancake shapes gives you the most control over the batter. We used an empty and cleaned honey squeeze jar, but a Ketchup bottle would also work! If you don’t have a squeeze bottle, you can also use a Pyrex Measuring Cup to gently pour the batter in its desired shape.
✔️ Instructions
Step 1: Make your Batter
We used our Easy Vanilla and Cinnamon Pancakes recipe to make the batter.
Step 2: Form your Shapes
Using a squeeze bottle to pour your batter into shapes gives you the most control over the batter. You can also use a Pyrex Measuring Cup to gently pour the batter in its desired shape.
Step 3: Flip Pancake Shapes
After 1-2 minutes, flip letter over and cook another minute or until browned.
✏️ Expert Tips and Tricks
- Write letters and numbers BACKWARDS on the griddle. That way, when they are flipped over, your numbers will have a nice brown surface and face the right direction.
- Use a squeeze bottle or measuring cup with a spout for better control.
- Use TWO spatulas simultaneously to flip pancake shapes. Depending on the size of your shapes, a single spatula might not be big enough to lift the full letter.
- Cook pancakes on medium heat so shapes hold their form.
- Start with simple shapes like letters or hearts before trying more detailed designs.
- Add fruit, whipped cream, or chocolate chips to decorate finished pancake shapes.
➡️ More Pancake Shape Ideas
Try making pancakes in fun shapes to turn breakfast into a creative activity for kids. Simple designs are often the easiest to start with and still feel special on the plate.
- Hearts – Perfect for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or a sweet surprise at breakfast.
- Letters – Spell your child’s name, initials, or a short message.
- Stars – A fun shape for holidays or celebratory breakfasts.
- Animals – Try simple shapes like bears, cats, or fish using basic outlines.
- Flowers – Great for spring mornings or a colorful breakfast plate.
- Smiley faces – Add chocolate chips, berries, or whipped cream to decorate the face.
Even simple shapes can make breakfast feel more playful and give kids a chance to get involved in designing their own pancakes.
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🥞 Fun Pancake Shapes for Kids
Equipment
- Large bowl
- medium-large griddle
- Measuring cup with lip/spout like a Pyrex Measuring Cup OR a squeeze bottle
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat butter on a medium-large griddle pan at medium heat. Use a spouted measuring cup to pour batter onto heated griddle in shape of desired letter, number or shape.* For more control over your batter, use some sort of squeeze bottle. We used an empty and cleaned honey container!
- After 1-2 minutes (or until bubbles form and start to pop), flip letter over and cook another minute or until browned.* Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy your creative treat!
Video
Notes
- Write letters and numbers BACKWARDS on the griddle. That way, when they are flipped over, your numbers will have a nice brown surface and face the right direction.
- Use a squeeze bottle or measuring cup with a spout for better control.
- Use TWO spatulas simultaneously to flip pancake shapes. Depending on the size of your shapes, a single spatula might not be big enough to lift the full letter.
- Cook pancakes on medium heat so shapes hold their form.
- Start with simple shapes like letters or hearts before trying more detailed designs.
- Add fruit, whipped cream, or chocolate chips to decorate finished pancake shapes.
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
