Setting up your home: Kitchen

IN THE KITCHEN:

Jack and Sarah love helping out in the kitchen although sometimes it can become a little stressful. In order to have things more harmonious I have found that if I think about each step that is involved in a task and then think about how I could simply explain that to them, things flow a little more smoothly. I might give them one step of a task or all steps depending on the difficulty and how well they have mastered previous tasks. Here’s a list of questions you can ask yourself when you are setting up a child-friendly kitchen which encourages harmonious independence and mastery of skills.

A quick note, online Montessori stores do of course sell wonderful child-sized utensils and crockery but I have found most of ours at either the supermarket or a discount kitchen store for a fraction of the cost. At the bottom of this list I have some links to some of our utensils.

What specific tasks do I want my child to be able to do in the kitchen?
What tasks has my child shown an interest in doing for themselves? For example, pouring a drink or choosing a snack
Is there a cupboard or space in the kitchen which is readily accessible to my child?
Does this space contain child-sized utensils?
Are the utensils neatly organised to allow for easy access?
Do they have access to child-sized plates, bowls and cutlery?
Have I shown them how to make a snack? Do they have access to all items needed to make this snack?
Do they have safe access (stool or Learning Tower) to the bench or a low table for preparing snacks?
Have I shown them how to open the fridge carefully?
Do they have a fridge shelf with snacks and drinks easily available?
Is the fruit washed and chopped (if needed)?
Is there access to water?
Is the water container easy for them to carry? Sometimes it is easier to fill a container half full so it is not too heavy and easy to pour.
Have I shown them how to pour?
Are they interested in learning to set the table? Have I shown them how to do this?
When cooking or baking, what simple steps could my child be involved in? Stirring, washing vegetables, peeling vegetables, pouring ingredients etc.
Has my child shown an interest in helping to clean up? Do they have access to cloths and sponges for cleaning?