The Montessori Kitchen: Independent and Confident

Picture this…

Your child wakes up in the morning and gets herself out of bed. She walks into the kitchen and finds a piece of bread. She puts it in the toaster. When the toast pops, she uses the toast tongs to put it on her plate. She carefully spreads some peanut butter on the toast and brings it to her table. Then she goes to the refrigerator and gets some orange juice for herself.

You may watch this scene with both pride and worry. I know I do, whether I’m watching my own children or I’m in a classroom. It’s really hard to not step in sometimes. But I remind myself that every time I do, the child hears: You can’t do this yourself.

I don’t want my kids feeling that way; I want them to feel CONFIDENT and CAPABLE. So how do you make your kitchen feel child friendly and keep yourself at ease?

In the kitchen, children can learn to do anything from get themselves a snack, help prep food, help with dinner, or even cook a simple meal.

The first thing I did for my children was buy a step stool and a few child friendly kitchen tools and dishes. These can cost as little or as much as you like. You may even have things in your home already that can be repurposed!

The Basics

• A designated shelf or drawer for the children’s tools. This is the most important piece, in my mind. If I had the room in my kitchen, I would set up a nice open shelf so the kids could see where everything is easily. Instead, we have a dedicated drawer for their things.
• Tall step stool or learning tower. We got by with an Ikea BEKVAM. It puts kids at an ideal height for the counter. A safer, though pricier, option would be a LEARNING TOWER: they give kids the extra height they need to comfortably work at the counter. Look for one that is adjustable to support your children as they grow.
• A small, non-skid cutting board.
• A top handle crinkle chopper. We love the Joei Crinkle Cutter (not affiliate link). They’re great for toddlers as well as older children.
• Nylon knives are a good option for kids, and my own sometimes use them. But more often, I let them use a paring knife (and stay nearby!).
• A small pitcher for pouring drinks. I like to keep a pitcher of milk for my kids in the fridge. Other families keep a pitcher on a low table for easier access. One of my favorites is this glass pitcher from For Small Hands (not affiliate link). I highly recommend glass because children learn that it is breakable and they really do try to be more careful with it.
• A small collection of cups, plates, and utensils. I grabbed some ceramic salad plates for $1 each and small glass juice cups. Yes, they’ve broken a few, but they’re usually very careful (and really, it’s only been about 3 over the last 4+ years!)
• Available snack foods. As long as it’s child-accessible, there is no “right” way to do it.

Snacks and Food Prep

Now… what can your child DO with all those tools?

I try to keep snack simple at my house. Our goal is to have snack available that the children can independently get or make. In our fridge on the lowest shelf, I keep a few jars of prepped veggies, cheese sticks, and yogurt. I keep non-refrigerated snacks on a kitchen shelf. Easy and self-serve.

Most of my own kids’ food prep is helping with meals or making their own meal. I try to be nearby or work alongside them to help them if they need help or show them a new skill, but let them be independent for as much as possible.

Simple food prep ideas:

• Pour pre-measured ingredients into mixing bowl
• Stir or whisk ingredients
• Crack an egg
• Make scrambled eggs
• Spread butter, peanut butter, or jam on toast
• Slice cucumbers
• Chop potatoes, carrots
• Stir pasta
• Slice apples
• Measure and pour ingredients, easier for kindergarten aged and up
• Sprinkle seasonings on food
• Cook foods in a skillet
• Make a tossed salad
• Peel boiled eggs
• Mash potatoes

There are really so many more things your children can do to help in the kitchen. My 5 year old recently made meat loaf for the family. Se normally does not like cooking much, but she LOVES meat loaf so I explained the recipe and she did it!

What about in your family? How do your children help cook or prepare their foods? Let me know in the comments!