The kitchen is the heart of your home. What’s the point of investing in its design and aesthetic if it isn’t functional for you and your family to enjoy? One of the trickiest obstacles when it comes to the look of your home is making it accessible to your family. Especially for those with kids, it’s important to involve them in cooking and cleaning without having to sacrifice the design that you love. Here a few great ways to make your kitchen more kid friendly, while maintaining its adult looks.
Equip your Space with Child-Size Tools
Start them young! Getting tools to make basic food items for kids is an easy way for your family to enjoy the process of cooking together. Creating a special place in the kitchen for the kid friendly items will allow for easy access and clean-up. Children tend to mimic what their parents do, so giving them similar utensils that won’t accidentally hurt them is a great idea for involving them more in your day to day. It also teaches them responsibility about following directions and taking care of their equipment. Of course, it’s also a wonderful reward for kids’ hard work when the result is a delicious treat!
Stools
Stools are an essential in any household with kids. What was once a Disney-themed eyesore taking up space in your hallway, stools can be very stylish and on-trend with the design of your home. Places like Ikea, Target, or even Walmart now have stool options that give your kids the height they need without the childish looks that adults are trying to avoid. They even make stools that can fold up when you’re finished using them to allow for more efficient storage and easy access when you need.
Space to Make a Mess
As hard as you try, messes are inevitable with kids, especially in the kitchen. Designating a space for your kids to experiment with food either at an eat-in kitchen area or a dining table can go a long way in preventing clean-up thereafter. Placing a table cloth or big piece of paper down on the surface will allow them to run free with their cooking ideas without you having to worry about the mess. Not to mention, you now have your own space to get the dishes done or dinner started for the family.
Play Kitchen
Many kids have a pretend kitchen where they can role-play and play with food and cooking toys. After a bit of research, we found that placing this ‘play’ kitchen next to the real one is a good way for kids to feel like they’re helping out. Watching their parents make food as they pretend to do so as well is fun for them and may even make them interested in cooking as they get older!
Recipes for Kids
Your current kitchen may be technically kid friendly, but if the meals being made are too complex it can be difficult to involve your children in the process. Consider cooking meals that they can join in on. It’ll keep them entertained for hours and give them something to feel accomplished about when it comes time for eating. Most kids will enjoy baking anything because they can lick the batter or dough in-between stirs. Recipes like brownies or cookies are a classic and sure way to satisfy their sugar cravings. Making pizza is another favorite for kids because they can decorate it with toppings and play with the dough. It’s pretty hard for a pizza to not taste good, even if it was made by a 4-year old, so no need to worry about enjoying it later on! And for breakfast, pancakes are an easy and fun food to make for kids. Creating different shapes and adding toppings like fruit and chocolate chips are all exciting for kids to take part in.
For any other advice or information on making your kitchen more kid friendly, reach out to us over message or phone. Our specialists have an abundance of ideas and resources that could be useful for you and your family. The kitchen is for making memories that last a lifetime, it’s time to get your whole family in on the action!