My husband and I thought it would be a great time to set up the functional kitchen since our son (13 months old) has been showing an interest in grabbing his utensils from the dishwasher for meal times.
What is a functional kitchen?
A functional kitchen gives toddlers the opportunity to work on practical life skills like learning how to wash their dishes, preparing simple snacks and preparing the table for meal times.
How to use a functional kitchen with a one year old?
Prior and after mealtimes we walk our son over to the kitchen and help him wash his hands by doing the following
- turning on the faucet
- pump a small amount of soap on his hands
- show him how to rub his hands
- help him rinse all the soap off
- turn off faucet
- offer a towel so he can dry his hands
- help him dry his hands completely
We also show him where his plate and cup are and help him take the utensils he needs for the meal to his weaning table.
Materials needed to create your own functional kitchen with running water
- Ikea Duktig Play Kitchen
- Water Bottle Pump – this will serve as an electronic faucet
- Contact Paper – the contact paper is used to protect the wood from the water
- Super Glue – to glue the water bottle pump down to the kitchen
- plate
- bowl
- cup
- utensils
- soap dispenser
- small towel
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