Pancake Day EYFS: Fun Activities, Learning Ideas & Easy Recipes for Early Years
Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is a fun and engaging event for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learners. It’s a perfect opportunity to teach children about traditions, develop motor skills, and encourage early math and language skills—all while making and enjoying delicious pancakes!
In this article, you will learn:
- What is Pancake Day? A simple EYFS-friendly explanation.
- Fun EYFS Pancake Day activities to encourage hands-on learning.
- How Pancake Day links to EYFS learning areas (math, literacy, fine motor skills, and more).
- Easy pancake recipes that children can help make.
- Answers to the top 10 frequently asked questions about teaching Pancake Day in EYFS.
- A detailed meta description optimized for SEO.
Let’s explore how to make Pancake Day exciting and educational for EYFS children!
What is Pancake Day? (EYFS Explanation)
Pancake Day is another name for Shrove Tuesday, a day when people make and eat pancakes before a special time called Lent.
A long time ago, people made pancakes on this day to use up eggs, milk, and butter before starting a period of fasting. Now, we celebrate it by cooking, flipping, and eating pancakes, and sometimes even having pancake races!
👶 How to explain it to EYFS learners:
👉 “Pancake Day is a fun day when we make and eat yummy pancakes! A long time ago, people made pancakes before a special time called Lent. Today, we still love making pancakes and playing fun games like pancake races!”
How Pancake Day Links to EYFS Learning Areas
Pancake Day is a fantastic cross-curricular learning opportunity for Early Years settings. It supports:
✅ Communication & Language – Talking about the pancake-making process and new words (flip, batter, whisk).
✅ Physical Development – Stirring, whisking, flipping pancakes, and pancake races for gross and fine motor skills.
✅ Mathematics – Counting ingredients, measuring, and sequencing steps.
✅ Understanding the World – Learning about traditions and different celebrations.
✅ Expressive Arts & Design – Crafting pancake collages, making paper pancakes, or role-playing a pancake café.
10 Fun EYFS Pancake Day Activities
1. Simple Pancake Making (Hands-On Learning!)
👩🍳 What to do: Let children help with pouring, mixing, and stirring pancake batter.
🧠 Learning Focus: Fine motor skills, sequencing, turn-taking.
2. Pancake Topping Bar
🍓 What to do: Offer different toppings and let children choose and decorate their own pancake.
🧠 Learning Focus: Decision-making, creativity, and sensory exploration.
3. Pancake Flipping Challenge
🥞 What to do: Use playdough pancakes or fabric pancakes and challenge children to flip them with a spatula.
🧠 Learning Focus: Coordination, gross motor skills.
4. Pancake Day Story Time
📖 What to do: Read fun Pancake Day stories like “Mr. Wolf’s Pancakes” or “The Runaway Pancake”.
🧠 Learning Focus: Listening skills, story recall, vocabulary development.
5. Maths with Pancakes
🔢 What to do: Count pancakes, measure ingredients, sort pancakes by size.
🧠 Learning Focus: Number recognition, measuring, comparing sizes.
6. Pancake Races
🏃 What to do: Organize a fun pancake race, where children run while holding a (pretend) pancake in a pan.
🧠 Learning Focus: Gross motor skills, teamwork.
7. Pancake Day Role Play
🎭 What to do: Set up a Pancake Café with pretend pancakes, menus, and money.
🧠 Learning Focus: Imaginative play, communication skills.
8. Pancake Day Sensory Play
👋 What to do: Create a pancake-themed sensory bin with flour, oats, and pretend toppings.
🧠 Learning Focus: Sensory exploration, fine motor skills.
9. Pancake Craft Activity
🎨 What to do: Make paper pancakes and decorate them with cotton wool (whipped cream), felt fruit, or painted syrup.
🧠 Learning Focus: Creativity, fine motor skills.
10. Sing a Pancake Day Rhyme
🎶 What to do: Sing a Pancake Day song like:
“Mix a pancake, stir a pancake, pop it in the pan…”
🧠 Learning Focus: Rhythm, coordination, memory.
Simple EYFS-Friendly Pancake Recipe
🥞 Ingredients:
- 100g flour
- 2 eggs
- 300ml milk
- A pinch of salt
👩🍳 Instructions:
- Mix flour, eggs, and milk in a bowl.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Pour a little batter into a pan.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip!
- Top with fruit, honey, or sugar & lemon.
🍽️ Extension Idea: Let children suggest toppings and describe how pancakes taste.
Top 10 Questions About Pancake Day for EYFS
1. Why do we celebrate Pancake Day?
Answer: It’s a tradition where people eat pancakes before Lent, a time of giving things up.
2. Why do we eat pancakes on this day?
Answer: A long time ago, people used up eggs, milk, and butter before Lent by making pancakes.
3. What do people put on pancakes?
Answer: Popular toppings include lemon & sugar, syrup, fruit, and chocolate spread.
4. What happens if you drop a pancake while flipping?
Answer: Some people believe you must still eat it—or try again!
5. What is a Pancake Race?
Answer: A fun tradition where people run while flipping a pancake in a pan.
6. What country started Pancake Day?
Answer: England! The tradition dates back to at least 1439.
7. Can you make pancakes without eggs?
Answer: Yes! Use mashed banana or yogurt instead.
8. What is the world record for pancake flipping?
Answer: 140 pancake flips in one minute!
9. What’s the funniest Pancake Day tradition?
Answer: The Olney Pancake Race—people dress up and run while flipping pancakes!
10. Can we celebrate Pancake Day without making real pancakes?
Answer: Yes! You can play pancake games, do crafts, or read pancake stories.
Final Thoughts: Why Pancake Day is Great for EYFS Learning
Pancake Day is a fun, hands-on learning opportunity for EYFS children. From making pancakes to singing songs, racing, and crafting, there are endless ways to celebrate!
🎉 Key Benefits:
✔️ Encourages fine motor skills (stirring, flipping).
✔️ Supports maths skills (measuring, counting).
✔️ Boosts language & communication (storytelling, role play).
✔️ Develops social skills (taking turns, sharing).
By incorporating these fun activities, Pancake Day can be a memorable, engaging experience for Early Years learners. Happy flipping! 🥞🎉