5 MONTESSORI KITCHEN TOOLS FOR COOKING WITH YOUR TODDLER

If you’re anything like me then you don’t relish the idea of dinner time (pun intended). To get me through the dinner grind I usually enlist the help of my toddler. Now, cooking with your toddler is not always an easy task but believe me, it is better than the alternative.

Having small versions of kitchen utensils for kids is preferable, however, for the following reasons: Easier for kids to access (ex: child can remove and carry small cutting board more easily than regular size) Easier for kids to grip and use effectively Safer (knives) Promotes excitement about helping in the kitchen Increases sense of self-importance Increases chances of success in cooking activities.

In this post, I am going to share some easy recipes you can start cooking with your toddler tonight! I am also going to share our top 5 fav Montessori kitchen tools we use almost every day.

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Picture this. It’s 6:00 and it’s dinner time, again. How the heck are you going to get through another meal prep wasn’t it just lunch? The easiest way to get dinner ready is by including your lil’ ray of sunshine in all the food prep. Put a learning stool up to the counter and let them do some of the work. Let your child help by washing potatoes, pulling apart lettuce, squeezing lemons, and pouring ingredients into the pot. Generally, they’ll just make a mess but it keeps them entertained enough to finish preparing dinner.

5 Recipes To Use For Cooking With Your Toddler

HAM CHEESE AND SPINACH MUFFINS

Really any sort of muffin will do! There are so many things that you and your toddler can do together while making muffins like cracking eggs, pouring and mixing ingredients, counting out the liners, and putting them in the pan.

CURRIED VEGETABLES AND CHICKPEA STEW

One of my secret ways of getting my toddler to eat her vegetables is by having her help me make a vegetable-rich dinner. I always catch her snagging a few bites! WIN!

TACOS WITH GUACAMOLE

Who doesn’t love avocados? We go through them like crazy in this house! My toddler does the mashing with the masher and it is the perfect way to keep her busy while I make the tacos! Olé!

*This recipe calls for peppers, we do not use them. This recipe also calls for not overdoing the mashing, we do not follow this either.*

FRUIT SALAD

So many things for a toddler to do with this recipe like peeling bananas or oranges, squeezing the oranges into juice, or using an apple cutter for the apples. You can’t go wrong with fruit salad!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

This is a great way to get your toddler cooking. Between rolling out the dough for the noodles and chopping up the veggies to be added to the pot there are plenty of things to keep your toddler busy with this recipe.

Wood and stainless steel mixing spoon, whisk, and masher allow your little one to stir and mash ingredients. A child-friendly melon baller, spreading knife, and tongs build fine motor control. The egg slicer allows your child to transform soft ingredients. The unique wooden crinkle cutter allows your child to safely chop fruits.

So now that you know the recipes that we love I wanted to also share with you the kitchen tools that we love too! These are the top 5 we use at least once a week in our kitchen. Each tool is designed to help your child learn and work safely in the kitchen.

5 Montessori Kitchen Tools For Cooking With Your Toddler

WAVY KNIFE

APPLE CUTTER

STRAWBERRY SLICER

MASHER

PEELER

Now, I know I said there were 5 tools on this list but none of them would be easy to use without this last tool. So, I felt I had to mention the beloved Learning Tower. If you plan on doing any sort of cooking with your toddler you are going to need one of these!

LEARNING TOWER