Mud kitchen ideas were the heart of my problems the day we bought a mud kitchen. I had no idea how kids were supposed to play with them, plus I was trying really hard to be okay with the word 'mud'.
Parenting rule no. 3254 no one told me about; as a parent you will be a relentless researcher. First off, it will be the best travel strollers, then the things to do with toddlers, followed by the best dad jokes - parents research, a lot.
Let me save you a little bit of time, mud kitchens are a great investment. Done right, and with the right parenting style (hello there, Gentle Parenting) they offer endless possibilities for creative play and sensory exploration, as behaviour expert Susie Robbins tells me; "Mud kitchens allow for imaginative play in the most glorious sensory way. Your child can build on phonics and mathematical skills, as well as fine and gross motor skills, plus language development and interpersonal skills too." It's so much more than just a messy area.
If you're feeling a bit clueless, like I was, then here's some inspiration to get you started, we also look at what to put in a mud kitchen, and the best accessories.
Founder and owner of Resolve to Play, Susie is mum-of-three and helps parents with her long-established love of activity-based learning. It's what drives her to create fun, engaging, and accessible ideas to inspire ALL families to play.
Mud kitchen ideas
Mud kitchen ideas do not have to be perfect, it's all about messy creativity whether you're okay with that or not. Some parents can find the messy side of mud kitchens triggering, if this is the case maybe start off with water-based play, and introduce the mud element later.
My other half and I bought our son Ted a mud kitchen when he was about 2.5 years old, (it was the Aldi one, which sold out fast, but keep an eye out for the deal again) but we weren't entirely sure of the best way to use it. Or, even how best to set it up for him to use it. It was my sister, who is a primary school teacher, who set ours up ready for play. She included kitchen pots, pans, spoons, and access to running water - cleverly with a water dispenser, we used this Kilner glass drinks dispenser (Amazon, £24.05), it was sturdy and great for him to use, and doubled up for drinks station when we had BBQs. He loved it, water is like the magic ingredient.
Here are some other mud kitchen ideas to bear in mind, as kids will do their own thing, but we, as the parents, are the kick-starter;
- Natural ingredients station: Create a section in the mud kitchen where kids can gather natural materials like leaves, flowers, twigs, and rocks. These items can be used as additional ingredients to enhance their mud concoctions and add texture and color.
- Mini gardening area: Set up a small garden space within the mud kitchen. Provide child-sized gardening tools, pots, and seeds. Children can plant, water, and care for their imaginary plants, incorporating gardening into their mud kitchen play.
- Outdoor cooking zone: Add real kitchen utensils such as mixing bowls, spoons, spatulas, and measuring cups. Encourage your child to create mud recipes, "cook" and serve imaginative meals to their friends or stuffed animals. This fosters role-playing and creativity.
- Water play extension: Integrate a water source near the mud kitchen, such as a small basin or a hose attachment. This allows children to experiment with the consistency of their mud and adds an element of water play, making the experience even more dynamic and enjoyable.
- Mud art gallery: Hang a large waterproof board or canvas nearby and provide paints and brushes. Children can use mud as a medium to create unique artwork. This activity promotes self-expression, and fine motor skills, and encourages children to see mud in a new and artistic way.
We've also scoured Instagram for some of the best mud kitchen ideas. Take a look below for some mud kitchen inspiration.
The Oobleck idea
Katy's instagram play.to.learn.with.katy is all about learning through play - the best way kids learn. She shared the below with her 28.2k followers, and we love it. Caption reads: "Do not look at this if you are not a fan of messy play! Today's throwback Thursday was just that, but it only took five minutes to clean up. Definitely worth the hour or so play. There's no doubt that oobleck was to blame, but it was an incredibly fun setup. Swipe through the photos to see for yourself 👀"
The all natural idea
Next we have timetofly_abc, an Early Years instagram account who are passionate about natural resources and outdoor learning. They shared this with there 3,890 followers, with the caption; "One of our most popular areas is our mud kitchen, the children’s imagination runs free and they create all sorts of wonderful ‘dishes’. I love the role play element which often comes alongside the mud kitchen…it’s someone’s birthday or a special occasion which needs to be prepared for. Sometimes they’re dishing up breakfast for ‘the kids’ or it’s snack time.
Anyone for cake? 😄"
The simple set up
theexplorings is a forest play and outdoor learning instagram account and they shared this beautifully simple setup for their mud kitchen inspiration. And we couldn't love it more, it proves you don't need to drop £60+ before your little one can enjoy mud kitchen play. The caption reads; "The mud kitchen is always a busy area with our Explorlings. Here’s one of our baking setups from our Autumn sessions last term… We use lots of preloved authentic resources in our set ups. The pan scales and ice cream sundae cups were from @little_acornsuk from their preloved section (discount code Explorlings10) We’ve had lots of amazing resources from local charity shops too!"
The floral idea
For floral inspiration we found this great share from playwiththemacphersons a mum-of-three who - from her posts - is clearly passionate about learning through play. She shared this post with the caption; "Does anyone else get gifted flowers and think they've hit the jackpot with a play resource ready for once they have started wilting 🤩🌸 (anyone gifting me flowers know that's why I'm appreciating them 😂)
"Super easy set up in the mud kitchen, old flowers, some water and shaving foam. I love having shaving foam in the garden, can have so much messy fun and know that it will be cleaned up so easily with some water. We used the flowers as a natural paintbrush with the shaving foam and made some marks in our tuff tray. An easy invitation to mark make."
The add-your-own-water idea
And finally this insta post shows you how to get creative in finding ways to include water in the mud kitchen, and it's a clever addition. On Instagram, hooray_for_tuff_tray shared this ingenious post with the caption; "Looking for mud kitchen inspo! Our mud kitchen is great, but looking for ideas and inspiration to give it some extra va-va voom! Where should I look? Could you tag me in your mud kitchen posts or tag an account I should check out pretty please? (I'll share my faves!)"
Remember, safety is crucial when setting up a mud kitchen. Ensure that the area is well-supervised, and provide appropriate tools and materials suitable for your child's age and development level. With these mud kitchen ideas, you'll create a space where your child's imagination can soar, fostering creativity, sensory exploration, and hours of muddy fun.
What do you put in a mud kitchen?
Replicate a household kitchen. Use old utensils from your own home or go on a charity shop hunt, nothing needs to be new or plastic-just-for-kids. Child behaviour expert, Susie Robbins tells me; "my must haves would include old bowls or sauce pans, old utensils, and a few little shakers like empty spice pots. Everything else can be foraged from nature - mud, leaves, flowers, and water make a mud kitchen magic."
You can kit out a mud kitchen very easily and cheaply. Here are some of our mud kitchen essentials that guarantee lots of outdoor mud play.
- Whisks
- Wooden spoons
- Sieve
- Pots and pans (old unused kitchen ones)
- Plastic jars (to store things like making potions conkers, acorns etc….)
- Muffin tin
- Jug
- Potato masher (Great for squishing mud)
- Spatula
- Silicon cupcake cases (they can be left outside in the wet)
- Funnels
- Waterproof aprons
- Flower pots
- Stainless steel spoons (so they don’t rust)
- Fairy lights or bunting for adding a personal touch
- Mixing bowl
- Raid the recycling box for plastic bottles and jugs
- A mini chalk board is perfect for a menu
- Measuring cups
- Syringes (you can use old Calpol syringes.)
- Watering can
Mud kitchens for kids
Mud kitchens are great for ages 3+ - 7 years old. And they come in all shapes, sizes, and price brackets. Whatever you choose your kid will love and, once kitted out, they will get all they need out of it. Here are some of the best ones we've seen;
Wilko Mud Kitchen
RRP: £54 | Delivery: FREE | Refundable: FREE 30 days
“We bought this one for Zac and Theo at Christmas," Mum Louise tells us, "they love it. Originally I wanted it down the bottom of the garden, but they never played with it there, so I brought it closer to the decking where I sit, now they love it. I get to have a coffee while they make me a mud pie."
What we love
This comes with two wooden utensils and one 'salt pot' and one 'pepper pot'. The chalkboard is perfect for menu-making. And it can be kept outside, as it's made from durable and weatherproof FSC-certified wood. It comes with rust-free stainless-steel bowl, 2 x wooden utensils and 1 x 'salt pot' and 1 x 'pepper pot' so they can make that perfect mud pie, and hooks to hang utensils from. The shelves are great for storing muffin tins, bowls, and other mud kitchen accessories.
What we don't love
It doesn't come with the ability to run water. The bowl is quite small, and given that water is an active ingredient in mud kitchen play, it means you may need to add another water dispenser of some kind.
Etsy double mud kitchen
RRP: £187 | Delivery: £10 | Refundable: Not accepted
Mum-of-two, Debs tells us; “With two kids, this is the one I have my eye on. I know it's important they learn to share but just sometimes I need a quiet play time where bickering is at a minimum. These two bowls and two cupboards may just save my sanity.... for 10 minutes at least."
What we love
Made by a small family-run business, from all FSC-certified wood. We love that there are two bowls as well as a large tub, that can have more water in or some sand. The knobs on the front turn which is great for fine motor skills and pincer grip in little ones.
What we don't love
It doesn't come with the ability to run water. There are limited hooks to hang other utensils.
Very mud kitchen
RRP: £69.99 | Delivery: FREE | Refundable: FREE within 30 days
“The clever way the water keeps running means I'm not up and down filling their water bowl up every 10 minutes," says mum-of-three, Anna.
What we love
The TP Wooden Mud Kitchen is made from FSC certified timber, and sold complete with the TP pump and play working sink, and roomy undershelf to store pots, and pans.
What we don't love
It's not very big, with minimum space to play with other accessories.
DIY Mud kitchen
Susie tells us; "Before parents shell out upwards of £100 on a mud kitchen I recommend looking at it for what it actually is - a space in the garden dedicated to sensory play. You can easily create a makeshift mud kitchen yourself for little or no money."
We've found this really useful video that could help you build your own DIY mud kitchen.
For more inspiration on playing with kids and how to keep them engaged take a look through our Top toys and 72 things to do with kids maybe even flex your creative muscles and get stuck into these easy crafts.
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