They’re amazing because they’re just the right size for kids to learn and practice real life skills, all while they’re having fun playing.
And it’s super easy to make your own! We recently converted an IKEA Duktig play kitchen into a functional kitchen for our 2 year old, Andrew. Check out how it turned out:
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Are Ikea Kitchen Cabinets Worth The Savings??? A Very Honest Review One Year Later
We decided to assemble just the bottom half of the kitchen. We left off the top cabinets and play microwave to make the kitchen smaller and more accessible.
We covered the entire surface of the kitchen with contact paper, as well as the inside of the cabinet on the right, in order to protect the kitchen from water spills.
I was shocked by how easy this was once we bought all of the right supplies. (You can scroll down to see a full supply list at the bottom of this post.)
Kitchen Furniture & Kitchen Appliances
First, we bought a water dispenser, which comes with a long tube/hose. We charged it, then threaded the tube through one of the holes that was conveniently already drilled into the IKEA kitchen. It could not have fit more perfectly!
UPDATE: After using the water dispenser shown in this picture for a while, we found that the battery was not lasting more than a day without needing to be charged. So we updated it with this one. The charge on the new one is AMAZING. We’ve used it for a year now, and only needed to charge it a few times!
Next, we drilled a few holes in the drain so that the dirty water could empty out of the bottom of the sink.
How We Designed And Hacked Our Ikea Kitchen (and What It Cost)
Finally, we put 2 clear plastic jars inside the cabinet: one to hold the clean water, and one for the dirty water. We placed the water dispenser tube into the clean water jar, and added a funnel to the dirty water jar to catch all the dirty water as it runs through the holes in the drain.
Note: If you don’t want to refill the water every time it runs out, you could definitely just have one jar, and the water would keep circulating through. Of course, then the water would be dirty/undrinkable, but it would still be just fine for playing!
A cutting board: This sits on top of the play stove, and adds a little bit of extra play space. Plus, we’re eventually planning to teach Andrew some basic cutting skills (using this kid-friendly knife set) so the cutting board will come in handy.
Easy Ways To Hack The Ikea Duktig Play Kitchen
Soap dispensers: I bought this set of 2 pump bottles on Amazon, labeled them with my Cricut Joy, and filled one with hand soap and one with dish soap. We also have this dish brush for washing dishes.
A bath mat: We bought 2 of these inexpensive bath mats from IKEA. We put one at a time under the kitchen to help with spills.
Plates, bowls, and silverware: These have been fun for Andrew to practice getting his own snacks ready, and washing his own dishes.
Ikea Play Kitchen Diy Makeover
Extra towels: We got a dozen towels, and store the extras in a little basket in the cabinet. It might seem like a lot, but toddlers + running water = so many spills at first! It’s all part of the learning process, so towels are a must. 🙂
Flower pots and watering can: We set up a few house plants and a little watering can on the windowsill above our kitchen, and gave Andrew the job of taking care of them.
A functional toddler kitchen is the perfect place to teach your toddler all kinds of great life skills. We haven’t tackled all of these with Andrew yet, but as he masters each one, we’ll slowly introduce him to new ones.
Using Different Wall Cabinet Heights In Your Ikea Kitchen
Cleaning up spills: This is one of the first things your toddler can learn to do in his/her new kitchen. Show them where the towels are, and they will quickly figure out how to mop up puddles all by themselves.
Getting a drink of water: This was the first thing we taught Andrew to do, and he caught on right away. There are actually quite a few steps (and learning opportunities) involved: Open a cabinet, find a cup, hold it under the faucet, turn the water on, and then turn it back off again.
Washing hands: This kitchen is worth it just for the fact that Andrew can now wash his hands by himself!!! What a game changer.
A Play Kitchen Makeover
Brushing teeth: We still brush Andrew’s teeth for him, but we also started letting him practice brushing his own teeth. This kitchen is the perfect height for him to wet his own toothbrush and practice spitting.
Watering plants: We have four small potted plants and a little watering can on the windowsill about this kitchen. Andrew can fill up the watering can on his own, and loves to help water the plants. (He can also clean up any spills by himself with his towels.)
Washing dishes: We’ve showed Andrew how to wash dishes a few times, and he’s still getting the hang of it. He’s not quite patient enough to get all the bubbles rinsed off, but he’s learning.
Knoxhult Corner Kitchen, White
Chopping: We haven’t tackled this one yet, but when he’s ready to learn how to use a knife, we’ll practice on his cutting board at his kitchen.
What do you think? If you have any questions about how we created this kitchen, feel free to leave a comment below. Or check out the supply list to see where we found everything.
Did you ever make nature stew when you were a kid? We used to have a blast “cooking” with dirt, grass, leaves, flower petals, and water from the garden hose.
A Modern Inspired Ikea Play Kitchen Makeover — Kandis Marino Photography
As a mom, I decided to make a mud kitchen for my own kids, where they could do some nature cooking of their own.
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With so many of you following our play kitchen makeover over on Instagram, I’ve popped together a ‘6 step guide’ of what we did, including the products we used, and top tips I gathered along the way to help you create your very own bespoke play kitchen for your little one! I can’t wait to see your play kitchen makeover… be sure to tag me in your creations @!
The 10 Best Play Kitchens Of 2024
I opted to use
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