"DIY" biscuit for child's development

PEKAN: It was while searching for ideas on activities for her three children to do to pass their time having been confined in the house following implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) in March last year that Aida Husna Ruslan started making this ‘DIY (Do-It-Yourself' (DIY) biscuits’.

Aida Husna, 36, who is a company manager, shared the idea with some friends, who then ordered the biscuits from her so that they can do similar activities for their children at home.

Unexpectedly, the order keeps coming, and for more, that she has to get a new oven “because I overworked the old one and it is now damaged”.

Aida Husna said the DIY biscuits are actually plain vanilla butter biscuits which are in various shapes, such as animal, superheroes, princess and vehicles.

She said some of the biscuit cutters had to be ordered from overseas or custom-made.

“The biscuits are left plain so that the children can decorate them with icing or sugar beads of various colours according to their own creativity.

“It’s a mother-child bonding activity that also helps in children's development, like coordination between their eyes and hands, to control their finger movement, like when pressing the icing plastic and teaching them to focus on what they are doing.

"The bonus for the mother is that this activity will keep the children ‘occupied’ for a few hours, will not mess up the kitchen and most importantly , it is not a waste because the biscuits can then be eaten," she told Bernama when met at her house in Perumahan Syahbandar here, today.

Despite the increasing demand for her DIY Biscuits, Aida Husna, whose children are between the age of two and seven, said she does not feel burdened fulfilling the orders.

“I mostly bake on weekends or at night after the children go to bed. I kind of like doing it because it is like a therapy, it is a stress reliever,” she added.

-- BERNAMA