December 12, 2006 8:48 AM
Children's table and chairs
One of the most frequent search items which land people on this site is people who love kids - parents, grandparents, teachers - looking for a child-sized table and chairs.
Remember a month ago I ran See the world through children's eyes with this picture to remind you of the difficulties kids face in growing up in an adult-sized world:
This morning I found out that the link I had for a table and chairs was outdated, so here is my new recommendation:
My advice would be to forego the cutesy stuff and get something durable (wood) and plain so that the furniture is not a distraction from the work the children will do at it (puzzles and other manipulatives - the kind of stuff you can find listed at Barbara's Picks under Early Education). Be sure not to put the table and chairs in the child's bedroom, but somewhere where the life of the family takes place. You want to always arrange your home and furniture to promote family togetherness.
Also, even if you only have one child, I suggest getting a table with four chairs to accommodate siblings who come along or friends. You can always put two chairs away until you need them. Caution: Teach older kids not to sit on the little chairs as they are not made for that kind of weight.
Remember that I said at Christmas if you are going to spend money on presents for your kids, go for things that will have lasting value? This is the kind of thing I mean. While the amount spent initially is a lot, you are getting something which will really make a difference in the life of your child and will be around for years.
Perfect idea for grandparents who ask for ideas! But please send them through my Amazon store which supports this site. And thanks to those of you who've done your Christmas shopping there or through other links at this site!
Posted in Homeschooling, Montessori, Mothering, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink
Comments
The "kid" tables seemed to large for my 2 and 1 yr. old, so they have a short end table I found at a thrift store for $3. Likewise, their feet dangle off the kid chairs, so we use short Rubbermaid footstools for their "chairs". We actually have an assortment of chairs of different heights to accomodate the older ones - so they can each work comfortably.
Posted by: Milehimama | December 12, 2006 10:03 AM
We have also found well made kids tables and chairs at IKEA. Ours are going on 7 years and still doing well, except for having to reassemble them when the boys take them apart. Fortunately the boys can now fix them by themselves. Our girls use the table and chairs to sit and color.
Posted by: Jane Duquette | December 12, 2006 10:42 AM
I was going to suggest IKEA too. Although our set only came w/ 2 chairs, it is well made, strong enough to hold me, and only cost $20. WE have a kidkraft kitchen and it is very high quality so I imagine their chair set would last longer, but if you're looking for an inexpensve alternative you can't go wrong w/ the IKEA set.
It is by far the BEST childrens' item we've purchased.
Posted by: Tiffany | December 12, 2006 3:45 PM
