Benefits of a Working Child-Sized Kitchen

If you are active on social media, you may have seen the many families transforming their little one’s play kitchen into a functioning child-sized kitchen – complete with a working sink, mini fridge, and child-safe cooking utensils. While having your little one help you in the “regular-sized” kitchen is beneficial bonding time, there are also valuable skills to be learned in a space their size that they can explore independently.

Roleplay

Your little one watches everything you do, and most likely loves to do the activities they see you do in the kitchen. Mimicking their grown-ups is one way little ones learn – especially with daily tasks, such as working in the kitchen. With everything within reach, they are able to take the skills you teach them in the kitchen with you and practice them in a kitchen all their own.

Practical Life Skills

Learning how to cook and clean are skills your little one will use throughout their life; why not let them learn and practice them when they are actually excited to do them! With a functional child-sized kitchen, your little one gets to practice using a sink independently — including practice with  handwashing, as well as washing food and dishes, and other chores for kids. They can also practice preparing and cutting food safely while working their fine motor skills. 

Builds Confidence

Practicing these everyday skills builds self-esteem, confidence, and fosters independence. Playing in a functional kitchen helps them learn and explore the many working parts of a kitchen, which will lead to confidence in the kitchen as they get older and start taking care of their own meals, helping with chores, and so on. When we give our little ones the opportunities to do things on their own, they will want to do things on their own.

Keeping Clean

With their own child-sized kitchen, they can also practice keeping their space clean. With the addition of dish cloths to wipe down surfaces and sponges to clean dishes, you give your little one the chance to clean up after themselves–a very important part of chores for kids. Of course with some instruction and encouragement, your little one can start remembering that after they slice up some bananas, they have to wash the cutting board and knife. Before you know it, they may start wanting to help clean dishes in the family sink!