A Sweet, Handmade Gift from the Heart
At Curious Steps Childcare, we love giving the children opportunities to make meaningful gifts for the people they love. For Father’s Day this year, we created DIY chocolate chip cookie jars and added an extra special touch: each child’s handprint painted right onto the glass.
We used 32 oz, qidw-mouth mason jars for this project, and the kids got to choose their own color of paint for the handprint. The finished jars were tied with navy ribbon and filled with homemade cookie mix, layered with care by tiny hands.
The kids were so proud of their creations — and so excited for their dads to bake the cookies at home!
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What’s Inside the Jar?
We used a simplified dry cookie mix inspired by the Homesteading Family’s original recipe, but swapped out the festive ingredients for classic chocolate chips — a dad favorite!
Layered Ingredients (in order):
1. 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2. ¾ tsp baking soda
3. ¾ tsp salt
4. ¾ cup packed brown sugar
5. ½ cup granulated sugar
6. 1 cup chocolate chips
(We mixed the flour, salt, and baking soda together before adding.)
Each ingredient was carefully spooned into the jar to keep the layers pretty and even — a great chance for the kids to practice fine motor skills and patience!
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Printable Label: Instructions for Baking
We printed and attached a small label to each jar with the baking directions. Feel free to copy and use this for your own jars!
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Dad’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Just add:
¾ cup (1½ sticks) softened butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Pour contents of jar into a mixing bowl.
3. Add butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet.
5. Bake 8–10 minutes or until golden.
6. Let cool slightly and enjoy!
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Why We Loved This Activity
This activity was a hit for so many reasons:
Creative art expression (handprint painting)
Hands-on measuring and pouring
A heartfelt, homemade gift
A fun way to introduce early math and sensory play
Plus, the kids got to give something thoughtful to someone who means so much to them — and that’s what Father’s Day is all about.
