Spring-time Fun: Mud Kitchens!

Mud Kitchens have been growing in popularity over the last few years thanks to a change in parenting mindsets wanting to focus on the wonder of childhood and the idea of kids being kids.

What is a mud kitchen and why are they so popular? The idea of "feral" childhoods has become popular among Millennials, with a major focus on letting children explore nature uninhibited and experiencing the freedom of childhood many were not able enjoy. Mud Kitchens are a play space for children to explore their imagination and allow them to mimic the cooking they see being done in their own homes.

A young child enjoys a creative moment, standing on a step to play with a muddy pan in a DIY Mud Kitchen, surrounded by playful tools and nature.

Building a Mud Kitchen There are so many fun ideas for Mud Kitchens available to see with a quick Google Search. My family's favorite is the one we have made from garage sale finds and materials leftover from previous projects. The image above shows our super simple Mud Kitchen. An art desk was found at a garage sale and repurposed to be the "cooking" station. The pots and pans were also found at a garage sale and are perfect for outdoor play. The spoons were taken from my kitchen after decluttering some of my cooking utensils, and the water jug was repurposed from an empty laundry detergent container. All of these items were collected during the spring and summer of 2024. A video and blog post will be coming soon showing the transformation of our Mud Kitchen set up from last year to this year!

While you wait, check out some of these suggestions to start or add to your Mud Kitchen below - all items are linked when the picture is clicked on.

A reasonably priced beginning Mud Kitchen, available on Amazon.

Amazon's Best Seller Mud Kitchen, just happens to be from one of our favorite brands - Step2!

Child sized play pots and pans - perfect for outdoor play!

A 2 gallon water jug - with a spout perfect for little hands to use!

Stone food is perfect for Mud Kitchen play! Make your own - or check out some from Yellow Door (not sponsored).