This year, as I was browsing the internet for unique Christmas gift ideas for my toddler, I came across a Montessori Kitchen hack, using the $89.00 DUKTIG Ikea kitchen. I laid my eyes on this simplistic, affordable kitchen and knew that this would be the perfect gift for Sadie.
You simply put together the kitchen, leaving the top piece, the light up stove, and the play faucet aside. Some people also drill a hole through the sink so it drains into a bucket underneath the sink, but I knew Sadie would somehow get her hands on the bucket, so I decided against that idea. I did however decide to keep her water canister partially full, so she wouldn’t overflow the sink. Side note: I do have to empty the sink, or I soak it up with a towel, but it’s not a big hassle, considering how much joy this kitchen brings Sadie.
So let’s talk Montessori first. Will I be strictly practicing Montessori principles with Sadie? No. Do I love that the Montessori approach is to foster independence? Yes. Knowing that we have other plans for schooling for Sadie in the future, I still loved what the Montessori school teaches. I know that typically, in a Montessori classroom, play kitchens aren’t in the children’s typical setting, but I thought this was a perfect way to promote some independence, while promoting some of the things that Sadie is enjoying the most (like being in the kitchen and helping with everything)! I have given Sadie dishes, food to cut (with kid safe knives) and, have given her a soap canister, and her own scrub brush to “wash” her dishes when she is done. She has a few other tools in her kitchen, but it takes a little bit of guidance to show her how to use each of the items properly. So we are definitely still working on that! I am mostly hands off (and don’t be fooled, this takes A LOT of patience for me), as she discovers her kitchen.
Sadie does have a play kitchen in another area of our house, so this specific Ikea kitchen will serve as a kitchen where she gets to wash dishes or her hands. She will get practice cutting food, as I also will be preparing food in the kitchen. She will get her snack at her kitchen, and she will be able to find all of her other household items in or near her kitchen space. So this kitchen will be less about play, and more about actually using it to do the same things I do in the kitchen myself.
So what do you need if you want to build your own kitchen?
Cutting board to fit the open stovetop space
Soap Canister (The one pictured is from Ikea)
Small glass montessori pitcher
The other big difference between this functional kitchen and a play kitchen is what we fill the kitchen with. Instead of filling the kitchen with assorted play items, I filled it with utensils, all of her dishes, and I will be adding some cleaning supplies that she uses on a daily basis. I only will fill the kitchen with a few items so that it’s not particularly overwhelming and doesn’t create a giant mess.
I originally snagged this idea from Montessoriinreallife.com, and I loved one final thing that she said about her kitchen, “About the water: Though not strictly “practical”, I do let D play at the kitchen sink, even when it’s not to wash or drink water. She is clearly getting a positive sensory experience by running her hands through water, and concentration from pouring water back and forth from her pitchers… One day very soon, it will lose it’s magic, and she will simply use water for its intended purpose, so I’m embracing her love of water for now. ” So yes, I will let Sadie continue to use the water, for practical and sometimes playful experiences, because she loves it and it’s so much fun to watch her discover the things she loves!
Thanks for stopping by the blog today!
XO
Jenna