How to Create a Photo Cookbook for Kids (and the Adults Who Love Them)

Whether your kids love to cook, hate to eat, or are allergic to four out of every five foods, creating a photo cookbook just for them can be a fun project and a positive way to make mealtime more fun. Choose the What’s Cookin’ Mixbook theme, and get started!

Create a Cookbook for Your Future Chef If your child fancies him or herself as a future Top Chef, work together to create a photo book of favorite recipes. Come up with a list of favorite dishes, including recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus favorite snacks, party food and holiday treats. Illustrate your collaborative cookbook with pictures of him or her demonstrating each step in the prep work, then showing off the finished product. Follow the trendy format of modern cookbooks by including plenty of helpful tips, personal anecdotes, and quirky quotes. Your child will feel so proud to have authored a cookbook of his or her own, and you’ll be amazed at how the process of making the book inspires everyone’s creativity in the kitchen.

Create a Cookbook for Your Picky Eater Let’s face it: lots of kids are ultra finicky eaters. If there are only twelve things on this Earth your child will eat, creating an illustrated cookbook can put a positive spin on a tired subject. Rather than focusing on the limitations (as per usual), seeing all the options together will serve as a reminder that there really are more options than mac ‘n’ cheese. And if, after much questioning and analysis, you finally determine that mac ‘n’ cheese really is the only option, there’s also the possibility of creating a twenty-page cookbook that dresses up macaroni in twenty different ways! This kind of photo book falls under the category of: own it, sister! Your kid is your kid. Why fight it when you can have fun with it? Chances are that if you approach your kid’s eating habit with an “it is what it is” attitude, his chances of branching out are that much greater. And then you’ll have a tangible record of a time when his highly selective eating habits were a lighthearted source of family fun. This kind of book will be especially fun to have on hand when your kid blows your mind and becomes a celebrity chef in twenty years.

Create a Cookbook for Your Allergic Child If you have a child with allergies, you understand how incredibly challenging it is to feed him or her at home let alone in the homes of family and friends. And if you have two children with opposing allergies, like my best girlfriend, it may feel as if there’s no one thing you can ever serve anyone in your family. A custom cookbook is just the answer! If you have a child with allergies to nuts, eggs, dairy and wheat, create a mini photo book that gathers all your test-kitchen favorites using only safe ingredients. You can either create a single recipe book that addresses every allergy in your household by including only recipes that are safe for everyone. Or you can create separate sections for each child. For once your child will feel special (in a good way!) because of an allergy rather than singled out and excluded from the sharing of treats. Include happy photos of your kids helping to prepare and enjoying a taste of all their favorite foods!

No matter what type of eater your child is, a photo cookbook is a great gift for close friends and family members who care enough about you and your children to prepare special food. If you choose the Mini Photo Book format, it’s also a great stocking stuffer idea, alternative party favor option—or even a class fundraiser project! This is one case where there are never too many cooks in the kitchen.