Make your Kitchen the Heart of the Home
Filed under:
Family
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The kitchen can be a busy place, with members of the family passing in and out of it all day, every day. While the kitchen should be the heart of the home, more often than not everyone’s busy lifestyle can mean that the kitchen doesn’t get used in the way it could be. The kitchen should be a place of enjoyment and somewhere to socialise with your most loved ones, so here’s a few suggestions to make sure that your kitchen remains the heart of the home…
Make it child friendly
Many parents might try and keep their children away from the kitchen, with the idea that it contains too many safety hazards for youngsters. However, there are many things that you can do in your kitchen to make it more child friendly. As well as considering the safety tips you’ve heard a million times before (keeping knives out of the reach of children, teaching them to keep away from a hot stove etc.) there are now plenty of other precautions that you can take which will increase your confidence for the safety of your child. For instance, you can install things like cabinet latches on any cupboards that might contain chemicals or any other harmful items or use clip-on counter top corner guards to improve safety concerns to avoid accidental bumping.
There are also lots more advanced technologies available that you can install in your kitchen to improve the safety for your children – for instance pop up sockets which is essentially a vertical power bar that drops down into the worktop keeping the plugs tucked away nice and safely out of the reach of any small fingers. Obviously how much you spend on safety in the kitchen is dependent on your budget, but there are things you can do for free too, such as encouraging your children to help you cook. Whether it is getting them to mix, roll, chop (if they are older) or just prepare by helping to set the table – they will be under your watchful eye so you know they will be safe, as well as be enjoying themselves and learning all at the same time.
Make it a place where your children want to spend time
As your children get older, it is likely that you will start to see less and less of them and they’ll probably want to hide away in their room for a large part of the day. Make your children want to socialise and spend time with the family, by making the kitchen a place that they will enjoy being in. For example, have a comfortable seating area (whether it is a kitchen table, kitchen island or breakfast bar) so that your children can sit and chat with you and your family and tell you all about the day they’ve had at school or perhaps you can all gather round once a week for a family games night and really enjoy each other’s company. Furthermore, allow them to do fun activities in the kitchen whether it is arts and crafts or baking, and allow them to invite their friends round for dinner so that they associate the kitchen as a fun and socialble place to be.
It’s important to have a kitchen design that works well for you and your family, so perhaps consider getting someone in to help you create a kitchen that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing. For instance, Mulberry Kitchens are a company that offer bespoke kitchens in Norwich and will go above and beyond to help you create your ideal kitchen that is within your budget.
Sit down as a family at dinner time
According to research six out of ten meals consumed in British homes are eaten in front of the television and four in 10 parents said their children would like to eat every meal in front of the TV. Furthermore, a startling one third of us don't even make conversation with our dinner companions while dining in front of the television. If you come into these statistics then it’s important that you make a conscious effort to change this. Encourage your family to sit round the kitchen table at meal times so that you can have a conversion with everyone in your family and find out their latest news. In and amongst you and your family’s busy lifestyles, whether it is getting your children to after school activities whilst juggling errands and housework, it is important to set some time aside where you can really have some quality time with your family – and meal times are an ideal time to do so. Keep TV meals as a treat or for those days where life has just been too hectic and all you want to do is relax in front of the TV with your favourite soap.
Make it child friendly
Many parents might try and keep their children away from the kitchen, with the idea that it contains too many safety hazards for youngsters. However, there are many things that you can do in your kitchen to make it more child friendly. As well as considering the safety tips you’ve heard a million times before (keeping knives out of the reach of children, teaching them to keep away from a hot stove etc.) there are now plenty of other precautions that you can take which will increase your confidence for the safety of your child. For instance, you can install things like cabinet latches on any cupboards that might contain chemicals or any other harmful items or use clip-on counter top corner guards to improve safety concerns to avoid accidental bumping.
There are also lots more advanced technologies available that you can install in your kitchen to improve the safety for your children – for instance pop up sockets which is essentially a vertical power bar that drops down into the worktop keeping the plugs tucked away nice and safely out of the reach of any small fingers. Obviously how much you spend on safety in the kitchen is dependent on your budget, but there are things you can do for free too, such as encouraging your children to help you cook. Whether it is getting them to mix, roll, chop (if they are older) or just prepare by helping to set the table – they will be under your watchful eye so you know they will be safe, as well as be enjoying themselves and learning all at the same time.
Make it a place where your children want to spend time
As your children get older, it is likely that you will start to see less and less of them and they’ll probably want to hide away in their room for a large part of the day. Make your children want to socialise and spend time with the family, by making the kitchen a place that they will enjoy being in. For example, have a comfortable seating area (whether it is a kitchen table, kitchen island or breakfast bar) so that your children can sit and chat with you and your family and tell you all about the day they’ve had at school or perhaps you can all gather round once a week for a family games night and really enjoy each other’s company. Furthermore, allow them to do fun activities in the kitchen whether it is arts and crafts or baking, and allow them to invite their friends round for dinner so that they associate the kitchen as a fun and socialble place to be.
It’s important to have a kitchen design that works well for you and your family, so perhaps consider getting someone in to help you create a kitchen that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing. For instance, Mulberry Kitchens are a company that offer bespoke kitchens in Norwich and will go above and beyond to help you create your ideal kitchen that is within your budget.
Sit down as a family at dinner time
According to research six out of ten meals consumed in British homes are eaten in front of the television and four in 10 parents said their children would like to eat every meal in front of the TV. Furthermore, a startling one third of us don't even make conversation with our dinner companions while dining in front of the television. If you come into these statistics then it’s important that you make a conscious effort to change this. Encourage your family to sit round the kitchen table at meal times so that you can have a conversion with everyone in your family and find out their latest news. In and amongst you and your family’s busy lifestyles, whether it is getting your children to after school activities whilst juggling errands and housework, it is important to set some time aside where you can really have some quality time with your family – and meal times are an ideal time to do so. Keep TV meals as a treat or for those days where life has just been too hectic and all you want to do is relax in front of the TV with your favourite soap.
