I can do it by myself; Encouraging independence

My kitchen is pretty small, but with a little creativity I was able to make a breakfast bar to make things easier for my children to independently make their own breakfasts.  This, I feel, is important for building confidence, encouraging independence and good eating habits.

By simply providing an open shelf space for cereals, condiments, bread and the toaster, my 4 year old is empowered. So much so that he had a toasty at lunch too!!  You can see that he can also reach the microwave and warms his own milk too; we did tell him how long to set it for and supervised him until we were sure he was competent, he loves to count down the seconds! His step is stored close by and is also easily accessed.  You may have noticed the open shelves on the left.  I had the wall cupboards removed and the shelves hold all of our everyday crockery, now everyone knows where to find a plate!  I do however live with all boys, they do still ask to my utter dismay!