I’ve always believed that getting kids into the kitchen is key to getting them to try new foods and keeping an open mind about trying new things. I mean it hasn’t worked with my kid so far – but maybe it will with yours. In the meantime, there’s a lot of cute stuff to buy that makes cooking with kids fun. If you’ve got a foodie kid or budding chef, get ready to get messy in the kitchen with these holiday gifts.

Tovla Jr. Knives

My son started wanting to chop food around 3 years old, and handing a toddler my favorite chef’s knife was not happening. Enter these knives. Perfect for little hands, they’re great for learning basic knife skills (like don’t wave it around when you’re talking). They work best for chopping softer ingredients, but these are a great starter set for younger chefs.

Mini Kitchen Utensils

There are a lot of cute utensil sets marketed especially for kids, but any mini set will do – and these will hold up well as little hands get bigger. To be honest, I use them too. Plus they come in fun colors!

Matching Aprons

I always say if you’re not making a mess in the kitchen, you aren’t doing it right. Spare your clothes though, with cute matching aprons.

Dash Mini Waffle Maker

These come in so many different fun colors and options, and they work surprisingly well. It’s easy enough for little ones to use (with adult supervision!) and the waffles are perfectly sized for smaller hands and tummies.

The Delish Kids Cookbook

Are these the healthiest recipes? Not so much. Does this book have a bunch of things your kids will actually eat, and that they can actually help make? Definitely.

Good Housekeeping Kids Cook!

This is my personal favorite of our cookbooks for kids. It has pictures of everything, which makes it great for kids who can’t read yet – plus the recipes are a mix of healthy and fun. They do tend to lean a bit on the bland side, but that’s easily fixable!