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Designing a Kitchen
to Cook with Children

November 07, 2020

Designing a Kitchen With Your Children in Mind

If you want to create a happy family, you need to spend more time in the kitchen with your children. It’s entirely possible to create a kitchen where every family member feels comfortable. Instead of isolating yourself in the kitchen, you can introduce several exciting options into your design to make the kitchen the center of your house.

Your children will love the opportunity to prepare food with their parents. But how do you create this space? Here are the main factors to consider when designing a kitchen with your children in mind.

Go for Open-Plan Kitchens

Living rooms and kitchens should have a similar layout design. Your children should be familiar with both rooms because they complement one another. Since most living rooms have open plans, it is good to create a kitchen with an open design. As a result, your children will have enough space to move about, just like they do in the living room.

Create Dedicated Spaces

Unfortunately, the kitchen can breed many dangers. You don’t want to take your children into an unsafe place. Consequently, it is essential to create dedicated spaces for your children away from the kitchen’s safe areas. These dedicated children-safe areas should allow them to fully view you, so they can see what you are doing.

Most people enjoy kitchen islands because they are easy to create. They provide separation from unsafe cooking activities, and they can keep children and any other family member close to where the action is. Kitchen islands are beautiful spaces to establish play zones where children can play or do homework while you prepare a meal on the other side. This will help keep your children busy and enable you to continue with your cooking activities.

Look for Easy-to-Clean Surfaces

You need to use specific materials to create worktops. Working surfaces must be durable and easy to clean. Fortunately, several materials do well at serving this purpose. For example, any granite substitute such as quartz can be an excellent and durable surface material because it does not allow water to seep through.

Laminates used to be the primary kitchen surface material because it was cheaper and very durable. However, advances in technology have led to the creation of inexpensive but high-quality surface products.

Easy-Access Pantry

Your child’s nutritional needs are different from those of an adult. Your pantry should reflect this fact. With a specific space dedicated just for the children, you can encourage positive eating habits. That dedicated space should host healthy meals, such as fruits, baked items, and occasional meat. Moreover, the area should be located at a lower height to allow easy access to your children.

Buy Kids’ Furniture

Creating the ideal kitchen starts with the furniture. You can purchase kid-sized furniture where your children can take their meals. Kid-sized furnishings are perfect because children can sit on them without any assistance from an adult. Other things that come in handy include step stools and size appropriate tables.

Kid-Friendly Appliances

If you teach your children how to cook for themselves, they will be less likely to eat out in restaurants when they grow up regularly. With that thought in mind, you should consider purchasing kid-friendly appliances. You can set aside time to teach your children how they can safely cook with these appliances. For example, you can start with standard kitchen appliances, such as a microwave, before moving to other devices.

Convection Microwave

A convection microwave is a necessary kitchen appliance because it allows you to perform several tasks at once in the kitchen. Instead of spending several minutes doing one job at a time, you can combine some tasks and save time. This will also enable you to teach your children how they can quickly cook meals.

Consider Installing a Blackboard

Although technology makes physical writing materials obsolete, a blackboard in the kitchen is still a fabulous addition. This is where you can encourage your children to write grocery lists, reminders, and cooking quotes. You can also inspire your children to draw anything they want as this will improve their creativity. Ultimately, a blackboard in the kitchen can help make your children more organized.

Bottom Line

Creating an entertaining kitchen is one of the best things you can do for your children. It enables your children to learn necessary life skills as they focus on their daily activities. Moreover, you can keep a close eye on the children during meal preparation and remain involved in their activities.