This post may contain affiliate links to items I love, and I am confident you will too! All opinions are my own, however, I may receive a small commission on purchases. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For any health advice I give on nutrition and weight loss, make sure you check with your doctor, as I am not a health professional.
Having kids who love to cook is a blessing. If you start teaching them while they’re young, by the time they are teenagers, they’ll be comfortable enough in the kitchen to be cooking for themselves on a regular basis. Part of helping grow their confidence is making sure they have their own supplies to use for their cooking adventures. Working side by side with you is easier when they have their own tools to use.
If you are looking for holiday gifts for kids who love to cook, then you’ve come to just the right place! I absolutely adore having kids in the kitchen. In fact, I put a list together of some great gifts for kids who love to cook.
Super Foods for Super Kids Cookbook – One of the best parts of cooking with kids is the opportunity to get them to try healthy foods. Just like with gardening, kids seem more willing to try healthy food if they help prepare it. This cookbook helps you teach your kids how to read a recipe, and includes treats like oatmeal pancakes and banana sushi. This book was written by a Registered Dietician, and is designed for kids who are 8-12 years old!
The Disney Princess Cookbook – For your Disney Princess-obsessed kiddo who loves the kitchen, The Disney Princess Cookbook will help you create Disney-themed treats and meals designed to help foster a love for cooking. This cookbook is designed for younger kids, from 6-8 years old, and has simple, step-by-step instructions. This cookbook includes some basic cooking tips, and has a variety of simple recipes from all meals.
The Junior Baker Cookbook – For older budding chefs, Williams Sonoma has The Junior Baker Cookbook, with more sophisticated recipes. The book includes thirty step-by-step recipes for treats like Chocolate Tart, Lemon and Vanilla Cheesecake, and Soft Pretzels. The reviews are overwhelmingly positive, many stating that the book does a great job of explaining the recipes in enough detail, but keeping them complex enough for older kids to enjoy.
Whisk Taker Tee – What better pairing than cooking and puns? This cute Whisk Taker tee comes in a variety of colors and is a great gift for a young chef.
Don’t Mess with the Chef Tee – A great t-shirt for an up-and-coming chef! This t-shirt is a cotton poly blend, slim fit, and comes in a variety of colors.
Risebrite Real Kids Baking Set – This is seriously the cutest functional kids toy set I’ve seen this year. While these are kids’ toys that can be used in a play kitchen, they are functional silicone bakewear and utensils that can also be used in your kitchen as your little one cooks at your side. The set is dishwasher safe, and oven safe up to 450 Fahrenheit. The apron and chef’s hat are machine washable.
Babycakes Mini Cake Pop Maker – If your teen or preteen is ready to handle some baking adventures on their own, but you aren’t quite ready to hand over the controls to the oven yet, this cake pop maker may give you just the right solution! The nonstick baking plates make clean up a snap, and many reviews discuss the ease of baking. While it may be time consuming to make a lot of cake pops, chances are, your young baker won’t get hurt using the cake pop maker. And they may learn how to experiment and foster a love for learning how to try new things in the kitchen!
No Cry Cut Resistant Gloves for Kids – One of the hardest decisions parents make about kids in the kitchen is deciding when to let them cut with sharp knives. Having tools like cut resistant gloves help make that choice easier! These lightweight gloves are especially sized for children’s hands, so they won’t be bulky, which can be disastrous when you’re dealing with sharp knives in the kitchen! Their Amazon page is very detailed on how to use them, so you can feel very comfortable with your purchase before you and your kiddo start working with actual sharp knives! Plus, they have a great customer service department and a return policy that is clearly explained.
Cake Decorating Kit – If you’ve got a budding baker on your hands, then a cake decorating kit is definitely a great gift idea! The very first extra summer class I took was a cake decorating class, and it made me absolutely fall in love with being in the kitchen. It made me understand that baking (and cooking) was this amazing blend of both art and science, and I could use my art skills in a way that made food beautiful after my science skills made it tasty. This kit comes with frosting bags, couplers, bag ties, and 32 numbered, stainless steel tips. It also comes with a cake decorating ebook, and a storage box. There are also tons of resources on YouTube if your baker needs some tutorials!
Role Play Costume Set – If your mini chef is just starting out and isn’t quite ready to take over in the kitchen, you may want to start with a role play costume set. This will let them explore the fun side, but more than that, imitation play stimulates language and social skills. Paired with a play kitchen, especially in an area where they can watch their parents in the real kitchen, then they are seeing adults interacting with each other, with siblings, and with themselves. This teaches important social skills and helps them develop language skills. Just make sure they don’t learn auntie’s bad habit of yelling out a cuss word when she drops the spoon!
Helping your kids learn to be kids who love to cook can start at any age, although it’s best to start when they’re young. Fostering a love of foods and a love of cooking will help your child not only learn to be more self-sufficient as a young adult, but it will give them the tools to be able to feel a sense of accomplishment and to be able to feel like a contributing member of their household. These are all vital skills that they will need when they move out on their own. And that will happen sooner than you think!
