A Montessori education offers many benefits to young children. Whether you have recently sent your child to a Montessori school or are just looking to learn more about this way of learning, getting your kids in the kitchen can work well alongside this teaching style. Today we’re going to share some of the top reasons that spending time in the kitchen with your children will align well with their Montessori education in the future. It’s never too late to start building your child’s confidence and get them engaged in cooking and kitchen activities.
Trust in Your Children
A huge part of the Montessori method of teaching is giving your children the space to do their own thing and learn by themselves. Building trust in the kitchen is a great way to show your child that they are allowed to experiment and enjoy themselves while learning. Of course, you’ll want to make sure safety is always kept in mind when working with kitchen utensils. That’s why we recommend investing in a kid-friendly set of kitchen tools so that you can offer them additional freedom. When you feel comfortable, take a step back and allow your child to have a go at making whatever they fancy. There will naturally be mess and kitchen disasters, but in the long run, this is one of the best ways for them to learn how to be a better cook in the future.
Make Room for Mistakes
As you offer your child more space for creativity and experimentation, there will naturally be mistakes. Teaching your child that errors are normal is an integral part of Montessori teaching methods, so let them happen in the kitchen too. Don’t get upset when your child burns their cookies or spills liquid everywhere. Instead, discuss where things went wrong and teach them how to avoid making this same mistake again in the future. Food preparation is another important part of the Montessori practical life lessons, and you’ll also want to focus on simple activities such as cleaning and tidying up. The more time you spend together in the kitchen, the better your child will be at cleaning up after themselves.
Celebrate Your Child’s Success
Even just getting your child into the kitchen for a practical session can be seen as a huge success. Montessori teachers encourage children to learn by themselves and try to improve their problem solving skills. You can apply this attitude to all of your time spent in the kitchen, where you can celebrate big and small wins with your child. Every time they do something well, make sure you praise them and reinforce the good behavior. For mistakes and issues, review what went wrong and make a plan to stop them from happening again. Try to repeat recipes or activities that don’t go well, so that your child can do better next time.
Practical Problem-Solving Sessions in the Kitchen
Critical thinking and problem solving are two key skills that children need to try and master as they grow up. Montessori education is fantastic for focusing on these areas, and the kitchen is a great place to enjoy practical sessions which will put your child’s problem-solving skills into action. When they make a mistake weighing out ingredients, they have to find a way to rectify the problem in order to make the recipe a success. We recommend trying to find new ways to challenge your child as they get more experienced in the kitchen. Older children can be given a new recipe to try alone and you can just step in when they have questions or are really struggling.
Teamwork
If you have multiple children or can invite your child’s friends over, the kitchen is a great place to encourage working as a team. This is a skill that all of us need to work on before entering the workforce, and it’s something that a Montessori education is great for. Children can work together by splitting up tasks or a recipe between them, so that they enjoying working together on a project. We all know that cooking is easier and usually more enjoyable with other people, and by instilling this way of thinking into your child at any early age, they’ll carry this lesson with them into their adult years. Even working together with you as their parent will show them the value of good interactions with other people and how much easier tasks can be when you split them up.
Build Independent Skills
Independence is often focused on within the Montessori curriculum, and you’ll find the kitchen is a great place to build on this skill. When you regularly cook with your child, they’ll build up their interest and confidence in cooking. Gaining independence is something we all need to do before heading to college, and the more you trust your child, the more likely they’ll be able to fend for themselves as they get older. You’ll also notice that they rely on you less for snacks and meals, and by the time they are a teenager, they might even be preparing their own lunches for school. When you think they are up to the task, assign them the job of making their own snacks each day, so you can enjoy more freedom for yourself as well.
These are just a few ways in which getting kids in the kitchen can align with their Montessori education. Even if your child doesn’t attend a Montessori school currently, you can use this curriculum to inspire your time together in the kitchen. This type of education builds independence and problem solving skills, which can be a huge help to your child as they enter their teenage and adult years. We offer a range of kitchen products that are ideal for kids who are looking to become more independent in the kitchen while still staying safe when cooking and preparing food. Check out our online shop for more information and to start enjoying time together as a family in the kitchen this year.
