Cooking with your children is a fun activity that is an education for them as well. After all, you want them to be able to take care of themselves when they grow up. My mom had all three of us, including my two brothers – cook for the family once a week when we were teens.
These cookbooks are meant for younger children though: they’re more about having fun in the kitchen. This makes a great bonding activity, especially of course if the child enjoys it and you make it fun.
I’ve found you the five most popular cooking books for kids right now and added a sixth: the one I’d buy myself. I don’t know how the kids would take it, but I really can’t imagine buying a non-healthy cookbook. Shown on the right is that last one: Kids’ Fun and Healthy Cookbook by Nicola Graimes.
Recommended for 8- to 12-year-old children who don’t have much cooking experience yet.
This book doesn’t just have a lot of recipes, but it also helps your child to learn about nutrition, planning a menu, kitchen safety, even a how to on reading food labels.
This cookbook is illustrated just right for the audience: lots of color and fun on each page, with cartoons to liven things up as well.
Two reviewers on amazon shared how their sons liked this book, so it’s not just for your daughter.
Of course recipes for special occasions are included. Less obvious: there are also tips on turning the recipes into diabetes friendly food.
Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals for Kids by Rachael Domenica Ray
This book is meant for ‘young adults’ but the kids in the picture are all pre-teens.
The recipes are organized by the age of your kids, so in one family that’s how they decided who was going to cook what: the 5-year-old picked something from the 4-6 chapter, the 8 and 10-year-old from the 7-11 chapter. There is also a chapter for teens: 12 and up.
The only complaints reviewers have is that the portioning may be a bit on the generous side and the amount of oil and sugar used is somewhat over the top. I remember when I took cooking classes in the US and had to cook at home, my mom would cut the amounts for such ingredients in half before even letting me make them. She was right: the result tasted great.
Recommended for children aged 9 through 12.
Get this book if you don’t mind your child learning to cook the way they’ll most likely be cooking most of their lives anyhow: using pre-packaged ingredients like packet mixes.
This is really a ‘first cookbook’ for a child who wants to cook, but is likely to be impatient to get on. Or of course: when you want something on the table quickly.
The Everything Kids’ Cookbook: From mac ‘n cheese to double chocolate chip cookies – 90 recipes to have some finger-lickin’ fun (Everything Kids Series) by Sandra K. Nissenberg
This book is also recommended for children aged 9 through 12.
This book is really practical for a family with several kids, because the difficulty of the recipe is mentioned with each recipe. It’s very kid-friendly with illustrations, an oven picture shown when an oven is necessary for instance.
The illustrations are in black and white, so if your child needs the colors to stay motivated, this may not be for them.
On the plus side there are games to let the messages sink in.
Recommended for children aged 7 and up.
Unlike the previous selection this cookbook has colorful illustrations to show both the ingredients and the finished product.
A glossary, is included and it too is illustrated.
This cookbook will teach your child cooking techniques as well as recipes they’ll eat every day.
Kids’ Fun and Healthy Cookbook, Nicola Graimes
Recommended for children aged 4 through 8.
Fun, tasty and healthy recipes that will help your child understand what healthy food is and get used to a healthy meal.
As I started out saying above: this is the kids cookbook I would personally get.
Great list, Katinka. I didn’t realize Rachel Ray had a children’s cookbook.