When you’ve got kids, you are always worrying about keeping them safe and happy. When they are very young, you might try to keep them out of the kitchen entirely, to protect them. Then as they start to get a little older and discover a love of exploration, you might find yourself securing cupboards with locks and moving anything dangerous or valuable out of reach. Then, as they get a little older, you start encouraging them to spend more time with you in the kitchen, while still keeping them safe. We bake with toddlers, we teach children their first kitchen skills, and we encourage teens to start trying to do things for themselves.
Quick Navigation
Creating a Family-Friendly Kitchen
Spending time with your family in the kitchen is massively beneficial. It’s a room in your house where you can relax and have fun. It’s a space for experimentation and creativity. It’s also a great place to teach your children about food hygiene and health and safety. Spending time together in the kitchen can give you shared hobbies and passions. It can mean that you’ve always got a common ground and a safe space to be together. And, it can help you to give your children the skills they’ll need later on in life. To look after themselves and their family. The importance of creating a family-friendly kitchen, where everyone feels free and happy, is crucial to spending quality time with your family.
Bright Kitchen
If you want the kids to feel like they are welcome in the kitchen, keep it bright. Use A+ Construction Pro to make changes to your cabinets if you need to and keep the frontages nice and bright. Add bright tiles and paint and avoid darker worktops.
Imperfection is Okay
It’s also important that you let your standards slide a little. As adults, we often get a little fussy about keeping things clean and tidy. We try to avoid mess as we cook, and we like things to look nice. Kids don’t understand this yet, and constantly telling them to be careful, and cleaning up at them, can make them feel uncomfortable and like they aren’t allowed in the kitchen. Remember, it’s more important that they are having fun and learning. A little flour on the floor isn’t the end of the world.
Make Sure It's Easy to Use
Your children are never going to be comfortable and happy in the kitchen if they can’t reach anything, you are always telling them not to touch things, or they have difficulty using appliances. Keep anything dangerous or sharp on a high shelf or in a locked cupboard and keep everything your children might often use in lower cabinets so that they can get them for themselves. Then, add a stool or even a low-down table so that they can reach a work surface comfortably.
Add Seating
The kitchen isn’t just for cooking. Many families now favor an open plan living space, because it allows greater freedom. They can cook while the kids are on the dining table doing their homework. Everyone can sit around waiting for a meal to cook. It makes things more social and fun and brings everyone into the kitchen. If you haven’t got an open plan area, even adding a small table and seating area to a smaller kitchen can open up the space and increase its use.
Avoid Tablecloths
Tablecloths and runners are great. They add color to your table and protect it from spills. But, kids can easily pull them off, causing breakages and injuries. If you want to protect your tables and chairs, use place mats (that wipe clean) and removable chair covers.
Add A Rug
Wooden floors are great in the kitchen as they are so easy to clean. But, excited kids can easily slip and hurt themselves. Instead, either opt for a less slippery vinyl flooring or add a non-slip rug to your current flooring.
Teach Them Well
Changing your color scheme, adding fun and keeping things safe and secure all contribute to creating a kitchen that the whole family can enjoy and love. But, the very best thing that you can do to educate your children while keeping them safe is to teach them well, from an early age.
Teach them how to keep themselves safe in the kitchen. Teach them how to use appliances carefully and about the dangers of electricals and hot water. Tell them why they need to be careful around the oven, and make sure you set a good example for them by being careful and sticking to the rules that you set for them.