The Kitchen is one of Jamila’s favourite rooms in the house, and we aimed to set up the space in Montessori style – somewhere which is practical, accessible and encourages independence. Everything was designed with her in mind, so it’s all at her level and easy for her to grab whatever she needs.
I spent a long time researching toy kitchens, as the space we have is quite small and we wanted to make the most of it. I knew that I wanted something with storage, so that we could keep Jamila’s plates and cutlery at her level to make them easily accessible to her. I also wanted somewhere that she could hang up her apron, chef’s hat and bib’s. After days of research, I finally settled on this one and I’m so pleased with it!
We store all of Jamila’s plates and cups in the storage section, so she takes them out herself at meal times. She understands the difference between ‘bowl’, ‘plate’, ‘fork’, and ‘spoon’, so it’s a great way to encourage her to use the words as well as choose the corresponding items.
On top of the kitchen, we left the pots and pans which came with the set, and she uses these for pretend play while I’m cooking – unless she’s helping me to cook, which is one of her favourite activities. She especially loves mixing and choosing vegetables at the moment. We also keep a cup on top of her kitchen set, where we store all of her cutlery.
Beside her kitchen, I loved the idea of a chalk board for her to write on. At the moment we’re using it as a menu just for fun, but as she’s older she might want to write down recipes, draw, and use the space more creatively. This one is great because you can simply stick it on to a surface and peel it off when you want to.
Beside her kitchen unit, we attached a set of pegs to the wall where she hangs up her bibs, chefs hat and apron. Underneath, we store a basket with wooden fruit and vegetables for pretend play.
As well as the kitchen set, I also brought Jamila a set of cleaning items, because she loves mopping, sweeping and wiping! This has been one of my favourite purchases for Jamila as she absolutely loves using it.
Alhumdulillah, I’m so pleased with the way that the kitchen turned out. It’s a great little space which combines the best of practical life and pretend play, and is proof that you don’t need a tonne of space to set up your home in the Montessori style.
Montessori Muslim 