How to child-proof your kitchen?

The kitchen is one of the richest places in the house for playing, learning, and creating affective memories as a family.

In Montessori pedagogy, kitchen activities are called "practical life" activities because they contain a useful purpose within them.

To ensure that even the youngest family members enjoy this space, preparing the environment is the first step.

Including your child in practical life tasks and food preparation will boost their confidence, concentration, independence, and sense of belonging.

The space should be organized to allow children autonomy in daily tasks. And there's nothing children love more than participating in household activities.

How can we adapt our kitchens?

Countertop within reach of little ones

If you want children to participate in practical life tasks that happen in the kitchen, the first step is to make the countertop accessible. Many activities happen on the countertop. This is where they prepare food, cut, knead, mix, etc. Children have a lot of fun watching their parents, but even more so when they actively participate.

A learning tower is always a good acquisition. There are several options available on the market, such as this one from @mrjuliokids, but you can choose to build one, for example with IKEA materials.

If you have space in your kitchen, you can also create a workspace with a small table, at the child's height.

If you have time and skill, you can see these suggestions on the @oda_joana page here and here.

Utensils suitable for small hands.

Obviously, allowing children to participate in the kitchen does not mean letting them perform all their tasks unsupervised. Autonomy is not synonymous with carelessness.

To allow children to carry out their experiments with total safety, you can start by offering them utensils suitable for their small hands.

Even if the material isn't everything for a successful cooking session, having utensils suited for their small hands will be an unequivocal help in performing tasks more safely, with more precise movements, and with greater autonomy.

There are, therefore, many utensils you can offer, for cutting, kneading, mixing, transferring, squeezing, grating... The important thing is that these instruments enable their autonomy.

These utensils should be available and at the children's height on a shelf or in a drawer.

In the next article, I will talk in more detail about the utensils you can provide to mini chefs.

Access to water and small snacks

Allowing free access to water and snacks is like the spirit of a Montessori room. Cribs, for example, are placed on the floor so children can rest and get up on their own when needed. We can do the same with food and drink.

So, in the kitchen, it can be interesting to leave a small shelf, at the child's height, with small snacks and water.

When preparing this environment, provide healthy snacks, such as dried fruits or fruits.

In the refrigerator, you can also designate a space for the child, where they can place products to consume as a snack.

The issue of water is also essential. Don't hesitate to leave a small pitcher or a water dispenser so they can fill their cup themselves.

Cleaning Corner

Whoever makes a mess, cleans it up. This is a basic principle for all tasks, no matter where they are in the house. That's why you should also create a cleaning corner where you can provide a small broom and dustpan, a basin, and a cloth.

Meal Area.

The meal area can also be adapted for children. If you have space, you can place a table and chairs scaled to their size.

You should leave an accessible drawer or shelf with cups, cutlery, bowls, plates, and napkins so they can set the table themselves. The gains in terms of autonomy are immense!

And there you have it! The kitchen adapted for your little chefs to use!

But be careful, these are just a few ideas. There is no single way to do it.

Only provide what you feel comfortable teaching and make the adaptations that make sense for your family's dynamic and your children.

Have you also thought about small things to promote your child's independence in your kitchen? Do you have other ideas or suggestions?