14 Kid friendly Kitchen tools and Why I have them in My Kitchen
Cooking with your children can be a joy and so rewarding!
My 2 year old added more salt to my bread dough when my back was turned....She just wanted to help, but I can honestly say, I panicked a little!
Has something like this ever happened to you?
Thankfully I could see how much she had dumped in, decided it wasn’t a big deal, let it go and the bread was fine!
If your kids are anything like mine, they beg to help in the kitchen.
The temptation is to do it all yourself, because that way it gets done faster and it’s hard to be patient with your children as they make a bigger mess, slow down the process and argue over who gets to do what.
But despite all this, I do believe with all my heart, that it is extremely important to have your children help and learn in the kitchen.
You can spend some great quality time with them and it arms and equips them with skills that will serve them well for life!
Not only will they learn to cook, but kids are more likely to eat what they have made, which is an ingenious way to get them to eat healthier.
I have a number of items in my kitchen that make it fun and easier for the kids to help. And they have loved receiving various ones of these items as gifts over the years.
In fact, my five year old son asked for a mini muffin tin for Christmas this year. Which when he opened it, he exclaimed “This is exactly what I wanted!”
Happy kid = happy Mama!
In a nutshell, here are 14 of my favorite kitchen tools that are kid friendly.
Small mixing bowls
Mini Bake ware or casserole Dish
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links’. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.
Now that you’ve seen the list,
I’ll tell you why I have them and what I love about them!
Every time that I make pies, my kids really, really, really, really, want to make pies with me! I used to use random custard cups, or tiny pans that I had for them to put their pies in.
I have these two little stainless steel heart pans, that I have had that my mom gave me and my sister when we were little, and have continued to use them for my kids.
But I had a brilliant idea one Christmas, and decided to gift one of our daughters with an actual pie plate! So I went looking for one, and found that Anchor Hocking makes a 6 inch pie plate.
It’s the cutest thing! So I purchased one, and it was so popular with different kids in the family taking turns using it, that I decided I had to get more.
We have four to date now, and I probably need to get more!
You know when you make pie, you always end up with extra crust, and I found that I’ve actually ended up with extra filling or found that I could stretch the filling a little, so that’s how I always can make it so that I have some for kids to use.
Making pizza, has become a family tradition in our house. Even if it’s just a simple homemade crust, some of my homemade spaghetti sauce, and some cheese.
Though other times we get fancy and put chopped bell peppers, olives, and mushrooms on.
Once again, I always let the kids make their own personal pizza, but had to use random pans all the time. Technically, I still do.
But I do have the personal sized stoneware pizza pan that my kids take turns using. I would highly recommend it! I think the one that I have, is from Pampered Chef. One of my other favorite pans to use, is cast iron.
When I was little, my mom gave me a wooden rolling pin that I used, and used, and used! It was used for play doh, and then real baking and I still use it today.
My kids continued to use it, until it broke and now we just use the center part without the handles.
But having a miniature rolling pin, can be such a great thing!
It’s used for pie crusts, pizza crusts, biscuits and even play doh sometimes!
While shopping for one of my daughter’s birthdays, I spotted a tiny whisk at the dollar store. It was so cute, I couldn’t resist getting it for her along with the turner/spatula that matched it.
She used and used it until it wore out! We went without it for a while, and then I saw it again…and once again couldn’t help buying it.
My kids are so glad to have it back in the utensils for them to use. I think that when I get one again, it will be higher quality and hopefully last longer! I would choose this one…
Little ones down to toddler age, love to imitate and like to feel grown up.
Giving them their own mini cutting board so that they can help mom, gives them that very grown up and big helper feeling. Plus, I like using mini cutting boards myself, now and then!
I used to have my children use butter knives to cut items up with, but it was too hard for them, more often than not. And I wanted them to learn how to use a real knife in time. It’s hard to know when they are ready to transition, but I think my children begin using a small paring knife around the age of 4-5. Of course I have given them very detailed instructions and make sure that what they are cutting is very easy and not likely to make the knife cutting jerky or stiff. In the meantime, I looked for an option fo them to use, because when each kid is around 2-3 years old, they always want to help and actually cut things.
When I happened to run across a set of kid safe knives that actually cut the veggies and things that they were cutting for me, but wouldn’t cut my kiddos fingers, I snatched them up.
They have been amazing to have in our kitchen. I don’t have to worry AT ALL about them cutting themselves and they are much better able to cut things for me.
This has been one of THE BEST additions to my kid friendly kitchen!
I was reminded just this morning, how great it is for a kid to turn a pancake over successfully for the first time.
The look on my five year olds face when he accomplished that, was awesome!
He was able to do it, because, first of all, I had only poured a small amount of batter in the pan, and then I had instructed him to move over to the side a little after picking up the pancake, before flipping it, so that it would land in the middle of the pan.
But having a pancake turner that was more his size, helped him to be able to handle all the steps like a champ! He was so proud.
What is more fun, than using cookie cutters or in this case, biscuit cutters!
I wouldn’t have to lift a finger to cut out a single biscuit ever, for the rest of my life.
My children just LOVE to cut them out for me.
Now, I think they would be just as happy, using my regular sized cutters, but my set came with a whole range of sizes, so that they can use tiny ones too.
Plus, small biscuits are better for the little ones when they are eating them. Smaller portions, means less of a chance of wasting any, and it’s pretty fun to have miniature food on your plate.
This item doesn’t get used in our house very much, but only because it’s usually in a drawer and gets forgotten about.
I had to include it in this list though, because when it does get remembered, the girls especially like to wear one.
It’s like donning a uniform and makes it feel more official. Plus…it does help keep their clothes cleaner, like it’s supposed to!
This is actually on my list of ‘to have someday’ items. Maybe I should go get one now…(leaving this page to head over to Amazon)…
But despite not having one, I know without a doubt that if we DID have one, it would always be chosen for stirring up any batter that needed it. I wonder why I’ve never gotten one? I love the look of this one!
Imagine trying to scrap out a bowl using a spatula that is four times the size of our regular ones.
Talk about unwieldy!
I feel like that is what it would be like for our kids, if we had them use our rubber spatulas, for scraping the last bit of goodness out of the bowl.
I want to teach them to be good stewards of our food and make sure that we don’t waste those last drops of batter, so I want them to learn to scrap out the bowls.
Having a mini spatula, is a great way to do this. They can manage a small one much easier!
Small Mixing Bowls
Small sizes of most things, just seem to work better for kids.
They can reach over the side better and there doesn’t end up being too much for them to handle while stirring whatever is in it.
And who can resist the cuteness a tiny bowl offers!
Every time I make muffins….I have little beggars wanting to spoon the batter into the muffin tin.
Regardless of how careful they are, it can get pretty sloppy.
I am happy to let them use a small spoon to put a little batter into a tiny muffin tin, though.
Then they also have the fun of eating tiny food! Miniature muffins are pretty cute!
Mini Bake ware or casserole Dish
My little guy was given the CUTEST (I know, I know…I’m using that word a lot!..But I can’t help it!) baking dish with matching lid, that he absolutely LOVES!!!!
He asks to bake in it regularly.
He scrubs a potato, chops it with a safe knife (mentioned above), seasons them and I stick it in the oven for him. He’s made some pretty yummy stuff this way!
And that rounds up the list of my top favorite kids friendly kitchen tools!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links’. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.
So, even though it makes it seemingly more difficult to have your children work alongside you in the kitchen,
I believe that it is extremely important for developing their cooking, baking, and creative skills, along with helping them to practice and fine tune motor skills.
These skills will serve them well for a lifetime, not to mention, the memories that are made as you have a chance to spend quality time together.
Just remember that it is more important sometimes, to have them in there with you, than getting that kitchen task done more quickly…
I am now reaping the rewards and satisfaction of seeing my children, ages 7, 9 and 11, confidently work in the kitchen, accurately stir up recipes, season and cook meat and bake bread.
Even my 5 year old, using his small bake ware pan, has made some really amazing dishes.
It takes patience….but you’ll be glad you included them in the process! And hopefully your children will be glad that you did too!
Share in the comments below, what you think you are going to add to your kitchen and what you want to make with your child! I’d love to hear it.
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