First enjoyed by Mayan civilisations over 2000 years ago, chocolate remains a popular treat today, although the form that we consume today is very different to its origins as a hot spicy drink. Chocolate is enjoyed particularly at certain times of year like Easter, when it forms an important part of the celebrations. It's important to remember that, along with other sweet food, chocolate is a substance that should be enjoyed in moderation by all and as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.
If your children love chocolate there are plenty of ways that you can learn about and enjoy it, without eating too much of it!
Make some chocolate sprinkle party spoons - great for gifts, parties or for stirring into hot chocolate.
Make a cardboard mug of hot chocolate - using real hot chocolate to paint with!
Use chocolate dessert mix to make up a thick chocolate flavoured paint that can be used with even very young toddlers, because it doesn't matter if it goes in their mouths! Give them clean pots, paintbrushes and paper, just as if it was normal paint. You can use dessert mix for all sorts of messy play, there are some more ideas for edible messy play here.
It's really easy to make your own playdough, and you can experiment with all sorts of different colours, scents and textures. This chocolate playdough is a no cook recipe, really easy to make, and leads itself to all sorts of imaginary play.
Save old plastic trays from chocolate boxes. You can use them for sorting (beads, buttons, pom poms and so on) or use with playdough, as above, to set up your own chocolate factory or shop.
You can easily make your own chocolates. All you need are some chocolate bars to melt down and some moulds. You can find some tips here - making simple chocolates with children. They make great gifts for Easter, Christmas or any other special occasion. Older children might enjoy a chocolate making workshop where they can learn some more advanced techniques for chocolate making.
You can also buy chocolate picture making kits which are really fun to do together as gifts with young children and can be personalised for the recipient.
There are lots of yummy things that you can make with chocolate that are easy for little hands. At Easter, try these gorgeous Kinder egg chicks in a wheaty chocolate nest.
Finally, a visit to a chocolate factory is a fantastic experience for children, and adults too! We've visted Cadbury World several times and always had a lot of fun.
Photograph in header image by Jennifer Pallian via Unsplash.