Holiday Gift Suggestions--Books for Kids to Create Their Own Play

Disclosure: I was sent these books to review free of charge from Storey Publishing. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

In honor of Black Friday I thought I would share some fun books for kids of different ages to create their own fun and play. The first is Teddy Bear Doctor  by Deanna F. Cook, and we have already reviewed this amazing book. This is our go to gift for Hazel's friends. We buy a copy of the book with a small stuffed animal and it is perfect! The age recommendation is ages 3-8. Some of the crafts in the book would be difficult for a 3-year-old, but it is perfect for the 5-8 range.

The second book is also by Deanna F. Cook. It is Cooking Class. This is a fun cookbook for kids aged 6-12.

This book has simple recipes that make food fun. We tried the French Toast on a Stick recipe. We used different fruits than the recipe called for since we used what we had on hand. 

Hazel loved making them and eating them!! She is not a huge French toast fan, but loved them on a stick with fruit.

Some of the recipes are simple arrangements of foods into pictures.

And others require cooking like these fun Pizza Party ideas.

Source

This gift would be perfect with a child's apron like the reversible one I made Hazel awhile ago.

I have to add that one of my favorite gifts from my sixth birthday was a child's cookbook and apron. I still have the cookbook and only recently got rid of the very worn apron. It was falling apart. We still use the cookbook all the time!

Our third gift suggestion is Build! A Knight's Castle by Annalie Seaman. This is a book with suggested ages 7-12. I would say it is better for the 9-12 range. I got this thinking Steve or I would help Hazel build it and then let her play. However it became the perfect gift for Steve. The book itself begins with information about archaeology. It goes into many details of how the past is learned by archaeologists. Then there is a section on a knight's castle and then there are the pop-out section to build your own.

Steve put it together and has been getting all the various pieces and people so Hazel could play with it, but the truth is she has not been that interested once it was finished. Steve however keeps puttering around with it. (He still has a Lego castle from his youth downstairs.) 

The castle itself has the men, weapons and more. The information about the knight's castle has all the details including what they would have used as a bathroom. It is very complete and educational. 

It is the perfect gift for your preteens or older that love knights, castles, fighting and history. Or for your engineer husband who loves those things!

So this is a start of three gifts for different types and ages of kids. For even more ideas check out my Gift Suggestion List! Happy shopping!!