If you are looking for gift ideas for a child consider giving them a cook book! Cooking with kids and encouraging them to participate in the kitchen is wonderful. However a cook book can foster a whole new level of independence.

Children from quite a young age can take the lead in cooking and use a pictorial cook book. Once a child can read - wow, the opportunities really open up. Caspar (8 yrs) can read almost anything, he could read an adult's cook book however a  kid's cook book is a great thing, he can follow the instructions and has the skill to cook and prepare the food.

Here the kids are cooking independently using Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!), this is a new release c/o Storey Publishing (and I have a copy to giveaway at the end of the post). 

Caspar doesn't often ask to bake or cook but I can tell he was enjoying himself here. He chose the recipe, he was in charge, he held the responsibility for the whole process, if he needed help he had to ask for it. I really think this is key. He (and Otis) were safe and Caspar felt empowered. 

This book is recommended for children 8-12 years. I gave it to Caspar and he quickly put sticky tabs on all the recipes he wanted to try. The recipes in this book vary from the very basic (but important) such as toasted sandwiches and boiling an egg to the more complex requiring baking and frying. 

Otis was laughing hysterically at the food processor (it's a pulse processor, he had to keep pressing for it to work). Highly amusing. This is what it is all about - having fun in the kitchen, being together, learning new skills. 

The boys made fruit (berry) roll ups. They've never had the commercial kind so these were a real treat. 

This book has a super bright and fun design - it's just the kind of book I would have loved as a child. There are tips for the child to learn new skills, how to fold a napkin and pages of fantastic stickers at the back. It's also spiral bound and lies flat. It really is packed with ideas and kid's cooking inspiration. 

I believe a kid's cook book is the perfect gift for any child. I have one copy of Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!) to giveaway, to enter please leave a comment in the comments section of this post below. Please only one comment per email address. Comments will close Sunday 22 November 8pm AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time).  Happy cooking! 

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