The 12 Top-Rated Kitchen Tools for Kids, Based on Reviews

If you are a keen amateur cook, then introducing your children to the kitchen is an activity that is full of joy. To see your little ones master basic skills and see the pride in their creations would make any parent’s heart melt. Cooking is a wonderful skill that builds confidence, teaches measuring and counting, and improves fine motor skills.

One crucial aspect of setting up your kitchen for kids is to choose age-appropriate tools. Adult equipment is often too large or heavy for a child to work with, and some items are downright dangerous. Fortunately, there are plenty of child-friendly kitchen tools that you can kit out your kitchen with to allow your little chefs to help you out safely. From miniature whisks to kid-safe knives, these items will make cooking fun and safer for the youngest family members.

All of the items in this list have consistently high reviews, meaning you can relax knowing they have been tested many times over. Let’s jump in and explore the best child-friendly kitchen tools.

If you are teaching your children how to cook, eventually, you will need to let them use a knife. This is a scary step for many parents, but having the right tools at your disposal will make it more reassuring.

This set of three knives from Tovla Jr is designed for children aged 4 and up, but they look like adult knives, meaning your little chef will feel very grown up as they chop away at their salad. They are dishwasher safe, BPA free, and come in attractive colors that your little one will love.

Reviewers are impressed with how well the knives cut through food while still being safe enough to be used by younger members of the family. The knives have rounded tips and a serrated edge, minimizing the chance of injury as they learn to prepare food. The flip side of this, however, is that they don’t cut hard produce very well, such as apples, which need a bit more force. However, as a first set of real knives to give them a bit of independence in the kitchen without causing you too much anxiety, these are a great option.

Purchase the Tovla Jr. Knives for Kids for $9.95 on Amazon.

If your children are too young to use real knives, or you are still a bit wary of letting them loose with a blade, a mezzaluna knife is an excellent intermediate option. This colorful knife from Kuhn Rikon is a much safer option than a regular knife, allowing children and adults to keep their fingers well away from the blade surface as they chop.

With a soft grip handle that children should find comfortable, you can confidently assign veggie preparation tasks to your kids, knowing that the super-sharp blade is slicing through the produce with ease while staying a safe distance from little fingers.

Reviewers love how easy the mezzaluna knife makes cutting vegetables, especially hard ones such as carrots and celery. Those with reduced strength in their hands say it has made a huge difference to their food prep, meaning that young children can use the tool easily, too. The red color means it will stand out from the rest of your cutlery, and it comes with a safety sheath to ensure no one suffers injury when it’s not being used.

The mezzaluna knife is so handy that you may find, like many reviewers, that you choose it over the rest of your knives on a regular basis. For that reason, you may want to purchase two to prevent you from having to argue with your kids over who is using it first!

Purchase the Kuhn Rikon Mezzaluna Knife for $16.75 on Amazon.

Your little chef will be right at home when they try on their apron and chef’s hat from the Ultimate Young Chef’s Cooking Kit from Baketivity. This comprehensive set includes everything that a young child could need to hold their own next to you in the kitchen.

The set consists of five brightly colored silicone utensils, two collapsible bowls, and two salad knives. Everything is BPA-free and dishwasher safe, meaning that cleaning up afterward won’t be too much of a chore either. A vegetable peeler, pizza cutter, and chopping board mean that they will be able to help you with virtually every task in the kitchen, and the storage bag means it can all be kept together tidily afterward.

Customers found the knives to be good quality and, importantly, safe for kids to use. As long as they don’t try to cut something too hard like a sweet potato — but let’s be honest, most of us struggle with them anyway. They are mostly suited to younger kids, with parents saying that they are the perfect size for five-year-olds.

Purchase the Baketivity Ultimate Young Chefs Cooking Kit for $49.99 on Amazon.

Baking is a lot of fun for kids of any age, and adding anything dinosaur-themed into the mix is always going to take the enjoyment up a level. First up in the Tovla Jr. Dinosaur Baking Gift Set is the dinosaur apron, which is going to make them feel like a proper cook — but not as serious, of course.

Customers are impressed with the durability of this set, making it ideal for little hands. There is a whisk, rolling pin, and set of tongs, all green in color, as well as a set of dinosaur cookie cutters, meaning you can be certain what the first recipe request is going to be.

The set also contains piping bags with icing tips, a lightweight spatula, and a baking mat. The kit is completed with a recipe for dinosaur cookies and a handy case to keep everything in. Reviewers loved how this cute baking set allows their children to bake alongside them in the kitchen, equipped with their own version of the adult baking tools. The dinosaur theme of the baking set means it will be a big hit with girls and boys alike and will give keen bakers a chance to pass their skills and enthusiasm on to their little protégés.

Purchase the Tovla Jr. Dinosaur Baking Gift Set for $39.94 on Amazon.

Mixing bowls may not be something you give much thought to in the kitchen, but if you are planning to teach your children how to cook, you will need a set that is child-friendly. Holding a bowl still while stirring is a challenge for younger children, so finding a bowl that doesn’t slide about will make a big difference.

This set of three mixing bowls from Oxo have non-slip bases, making them the ideal option to keep your little one’s mixture stable in their hands. The set contains three bowls of different sizes — 1.5-, 3-, and 5-quart — and they stack inside each other for easy storage.

The bowls are made of stainless steel, meaning they can handle the enthusiastic stirring motion of a toddler with ease. Being dishwasher safe makes cleaning them a breeze, and their insulated exterior means you don’t need to worry about little hands getting too hot or too cold while they help you prep. Reviewers rave about the quality and are impressed by the non-slip bases, having commented that the bowls are easy for children to use without slipping on the countertop. Whether you want the kids to help with cooking dinner or are planning an afternoon baking activity, these Oxo bowls will make it both fun and practical.

Purchase the Oxo 3-Piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set for $59.99 on Amazon.

Whisking is a fun task that kids love to do in the kitchen, but regular-size whisks can be difficult for little hands to maneuver. A mini whisk is an excellent addition to your child’s kitchen tools, allowing them to beat their eggs or whip up some cream with confidence.

This mini whisk from Oxo has a comfortable handle that your child will find easy to use. The stainless steel wires are sturdy enough that you can use it as a whisk yourself for smaller tasks, without worrying that it could break.

Reviewers love the mini whisk as either a small adult whisk or a child-friendly version. They say it has a great grip, which will prevent it from slipping out of your little one’s hand. Being dishwasher safe means that you don’t have to contend with cleaning the gloopy egg out at the end.

Purchase the Oxo Mini Whisk for $8.99 on Amazon.

Your kids are guaranteed to love any activity that involves filling, measuring, and pouring. Enter the Joseph Joseph set of measuring spoons, brightly colored and very child-friendly. Measuring everything from a tiny ¼ teaspoon to a full cup, these nesting spoons will become part of your daily measuring life.

Reviewers love that the eight spoons come in a variety of rainbow colors and fit neatly inside each other, so they don’t take up much storage space. They also conveniently snap together when stored, meaning that customers don’t need to hunt for them in the cutlery drawer.

As with all Joseph Joseph food products, they are BPA- and phthalate-free, meaning they are completely safe for your young chefs to eat from if they end up sampling their baking mixtures.

Purchase Joseph Joseph Nesting Measuring Cups for $7.99 on Amazon.

Not every child-friendly tool in your kitchen needs to have been bought specially for kids. This citrus juicer is a perfect example of a tool you can use yourself every day that is still safe enough for even a toddler to use. Squeezing lemons and limes by hand can be chaotic in the hands of a child (or even an adult), with juice squirting out in every direction. With this simple citrus press from Chef’n, you or your child can get every last drop of juice out of your fruit with minimal effort.

With younger children, you will need to cut the lemon or lime in half first, then they can simply place it into the juicer and press the handle down firmly. Customers comment that the dual gears mean that less pressure is needed than you would expect, so even little muscles will be able to get plenty of juice out! It is ideal for juicing lemons and limes to add to sauces or smoothies, but reviewers also comment that it can be used to squeeze fresh juice from a small orange, something your children may love to do when preparing breakfast.

Purchase Chef’n FreshForce Citrus Juicer for $20.99 on Amazon.

When teaching your children how to cook, especially if they are learning to bake, having a silicone spatula is a must. Flexible silicone is the best option for little hands, being lightweight and easy to operate.

This bright red silicone spatula from Getting It Right is the ideal option to add to your kid-friendly kitchen. In addition to being non-toxic, the silicone will not heat up, meaning your kids can deal with hot ingredients without any worry of injury. Reviewers love the absence of microplastics and comment on the one-piece nature of the utensil, which means you don’t need to worry about food getting trapped under a separate head.

Your mini-bakers will love being able to scrape every bit of their cake batter out of the mixing bowl with this flexible spatula and, of course, sneak a little taste in the process.

Purchase Get It Right Premium Silicone Spatula for $12.95 on Amazon.

A grater is an essential kitchen item, but with its super-sharp teeth, it can be tricky to introduce to children. Choosing a fine-toothed grater with a few added features is the key to giving your kids the independence they crave without risking their fingertips.

This professional microplane grater is the ideal option that will look great in your kitchen, be functional, and allow you to teach your youngsters how to grate safely. Customers note that the rubber hand allows for a firm grip rather than a metal one that could slip out of children’s hands. There is also a rubber strip at the bottom that keeps it in place, making it much more kid-safe.

Your kids will love experimenting with different foods to see how easily they grate and what shapes come out the other side. Lemon and lime zest work really well, and cheese is a child-friendly option that they can have fun with, too. Of course, the teeth are very sharp, but as long as they are shown the proper technique, this tool can enhance your child’s kitchen time and allow them to contribute further to cooking the family meals.

Purchase Microplane Professional Series Kitchen Grater for $22.99 on Amazon.

No child-friendly kitchen would be complete without a good set of cookie cutters, and these alphabet cutters from Ateco are ideal. They will give your child the chance to practice their letter recognition or spelling while baking their favorite cookies — win-win!

The set consists of the 26 letters of the alphabet, in upper case, made of white polypropylene plastic. They are lightweight, and the plastic material means there is no risk of a cut from the sharp edges found on metal cutters. Reviewers have commented that the cutters are ideal for cookies, fondant, and sandwiches, creating clear letters that can be used to spell out names. Each letter measures roughly 1.5 inches in height and will give your kids the opportunity to create letters to add to a cake or pastry, or simply create letter-shaped treats to practice their letter work.

Purchase Ateco Alphabet Cookie Cutter Set for $13.93 on Amazon.

Learning to peel vegetables is an important skill to teach your young children, but letting them loose with a traditional peeler is likely not a good idea. An adapted version that keeps their little fingers away from the sharp blade is a much better option.

The PalmPeeler vegetable peeler from Chef’n has a large blade guard on top, meaning that children (and adults) can control the peeler from above the blade without worrying that they will cut their skin. The ergonomic shape means it is comfortable to use, ideal when there is a whole sack of potatoes to peel.

Reviewers comment that the peeler is comfortable and makes peeling tough vegetable skins such as butternut squash an easy task, while still keeping the majority of the vegetable flesh intact. The peeler is BPA-free and dishwasher safe, meaning there is one less tool to wash in the kitchen sink after dinner.

Purchase Chef’n PalmPeeler Vegetable Peeler for $7.96 on Amazon.

There are many kitchen tools designed for children on the market, so to narrow down our favorites, we took customer reviews into account. Each item on this list has an average review of at least four stars out of five on more than one website, including Amazon.

We also looked at what the customers were saying about the products to ensure the tools were all appropriate for children to use. While some of the items are not specifically aimed at kids, they have features that make them better for young hands to use and safer than many other varieties of that item that are available.