Cookies Build Confidence

Cooking Up Confidence

Where kids build confidence, one cookie at a time

Cooking Up Confidence is an after-school program designed for elementary students that blends hands-on baking with social-emotional learning. Through eight engaging sessions, children learn basic baking skills while developing self-confidence, positive self-talk, and healthy ways to handle mistakes and challenges.

This isn’t about perfect cookies.
It’s about confident kids.

What Is Cooking Up Confidence?

Cooking Up Confidence uses baking, specifically cookie-making, as a tool to help children feel capable, resilient, and proud of themselves. Each session pairs a practical kitchen skill with an age-appropriate confidence lesson, giving students the chance to practice perseverance, teamwork, patience, and emotional regulation in a fun, supportive environment.

Kids leave each session having created something tangible. More importantly, they leave knowing: I can do hard things.

How the Program Works

8 after-school sessions (45–60 minutes each)

Designed for elementary-aged students

Small group friendly (10–20 students)

Led by one adult facilitator

On-site baking with simple, kid-friendly recipes

Each session follows a predictable, comforting routine so students feel safe to try, learn, and grow. Baking becomes the bridge between skill-building and self-belief.

What Kids Learn

In the Kitchen

Measuring and following recipes

Kitchen safety and teamwork

Patience, timing, and problem-solving

Pride in creating something from start to finish

Beyond the Kitchen

Positive self-talk

Handling mistakes without shame

Emotional regulation and persistence

Confidence that transfers to school and life

Why Baking?

Baking is hands-on, forgiving, and rewarding. It naturally teaches patience, precision, and resilience, while offering quick wins that build pride. When kids see their effort turn into something real, warm, and shareable, confidence grows organically.

Cookies just happen to be the perfect classroom.

Who It’s For

After-school programs

Elementary schools

Community centers

Youth enrichment programs

Families looking for confidence-building opportunities

No prior baking experience required. Just curiosity and a willingness to try.

The Result

Kids who:

Believe in themselves

Speak more kindly to themselves

Try again when things don’t go perfectly

Carry confidence beyond the kitchen

Because confidence, like baking, is a skill that can be learned.