Yayasan Ipoh Held a Cake Decorating Day For Children

by KT Leong

Yayasan Ipoh (YI) held a D.I.Y. Cake Decorating Day for a group of children at their Yayasan Ipoh Convention Centre (YICC) Hall, last Saturday. It was hosted by their Occupational & Speech Therapy Unit, with 15 participants, totalling 33 guests, alongside 8 staff from the Daycare, Occupational, Speech and Admin Unit.

Cakes, on top of being delicious, contain ingredients that can trigger the release of serotonin and dopamine in our brains, which regulate our mood and make us feel good. Alongside their symbolic association with joy, celebration and comfort, they can enhance our emotional state as well. Of course, the most important thing is that they’re yummy!

The event allowed the children to play with the cakes, as they decorated them with colourful icing and a variety of toppings. It wasn’t just to create fun and happiness, as it also helped the younger children to develop their fine motor skills while the older children could hone those very same skills, building their coordination, precision and attention to detail. It was an opportunity to encourage and build the confidence of all the children.

This activity is closely connected and is a main area of focus in both occupational therapy and speech therapy, as well as other activities such as cooking and baking. These activities may even potentially spark a new interest in the children.

The event opened at 8.45 am with an introduction from Ms. Izzati and Mrs. Rani, therapists from the Occupational and Speech Therapy Unit, followed by some morning exercise to lift up the mood. The closing and prize-giving ceremony started with a speech by Yayasan Ipoh’s CEO, Dato Dr. Ramanathan. The grand prizes went to Adham Fawwaz, Choong Juin Theng, and Damia Umairah. The event ended successfully at approximately 10.15 am whereby all the cakes were returned to the participants to be enjoyed at home.

Details provided by Nursuhadah.