Start with a cake mix of your favorite flavor and following directions, bake it in a nine by 13-inch sheet pan and cool. Here is where the kids have fun crumbling the cake into a bowl and when you add 1/3 - 1/2 can of frosting, they get to mush it all together with the back of a spoon to create a fluffy concoction that molds easily, but doesn't stick to their hands. 

Using about a tablespoon or so of the cake mixture, children can lightly roll it in their hands to make a ball about the size of a ping pong ball and put it aside on foil or wax paper on a cookie sheet until all the mixture is used up.  Put the tray of balls in the freezer for fifteen minutes or refrigerator for about an hour to let the balls firm up.  

After the cake balls are firm, using Wilton lollipop sticks and candy melting chips which you can get at Michael's Art and Craft store, dip the lollipop stick in the melted candy and put halfway into each ball and put aside so the candy cools.

Decide which toppings you would like on the cake pops like colorful sprinkles, toasted coconut shreds, or even crushed candy canes. Put each topping in a separate bowl. Dip each pop in the melted chocolate or candy flavor, tap off the excess, then spoon the topping over the cake pop and set into a styrofoam sheet to dry.

The cake pops can be eaten immediately, stored on their side in a glad wrap box, or wrapped individually in cellophane, secured with a curly ribbon and arranged in a container with Styrofoam in the bottom as a table centerpiece, until dessert. 

That's how to make the basic cake pops, but it doesn't end there because you can make Hello Kitty, snowmen, penguin, owl or their favorite character cake pops another day. 

If you don't have time to bake, you can make cake pops out of doughnut holes. Watch the tutorials first for the tips and tricks to making a variety of cake pops for every occasion and sweet goodies that make wonderful gifts, too.