Play kitchen sets include everything that kids need to explore their imaginative side and take their culinary creations from stove top to the dining table.
Introduction
Although cooking is no longer the domain of girls, a toy kitchen set is definitely an important part of every girl’s childhood days.
Back in the 1950s, retailers used toy kitchens as an effective tool to reinforce the role of girls in kitchen
Source: Toy kitchen from the Sears catalog, 1950s
Eva Stille, author of the Doll Kitchens, says that doll kitchens in Germany were made initially for the adults, but by the end of the Eighteenth century, it evolved into toys for children.
Evolution of toy play kitchen over the years; you can see the huge change.
Read: Doll Houses: History and Educational Play Benefits
Play Kitchens are great toys for pretend play, and can be enjoyed by multiple kids, and there are several developmental advantages of having a pretend play station at home.
Here are some of the benefits of a toy kitchen set for kids:
- Young children low playing with the materials on the front, like the fake stove knobs, oven, cupboard doors, sink faucet, and in the process also learn about cooking and personal hygiene.
- Kids love to pretend to cook their favorite dishes, and to put together elaborate picnics and are happy to show how to wash hands at the sink before eating the various delicacies.
- Kids love experimenting on pretend play stations, especially with their friends and even parents – for example, learning how restaurant menus work and what it’s like to pay for food.
- These are great toys for imagine play fun and roleplay, to let the kids be inventive and expressive, and also great for improving social abilities when done alongside other kids.
- These sets provide an opportunity to your kids to get used to all the appliances and the cutlery (cooking wares, ovens, cupboard, skillet, pots, etc.) in the kitchen in a safe manner.
- These sets help kids learn how to do household chores such as cleaning dishes in the sink, and also helps kids learn how to keep the kitchen organized.
You get different sized kitchen sets, some are larger in size with more extensive layouts — such as large shelves, and additional appliances such as a refrigerator — but it also makes them heavier and less flexible.
These toys are made from non-toxic materials. Some of these sets may require some assembling, but usually, they are relatively painless. Depending on how extensive the layout, it may take around an hour to assemble it using standard tools and the parts that come included in the box.
Best Play Kitchens (Sets)
Hape Gourmet Kitchen Toy
This Hape Play Kitchen has a simple, compact and uncluttered design with no bells and/or whistles. It’s recommended for children 3 years and older (smaller parts can pose a choking hazard).
Hape, (pronounced “hah-pay”), is a leader in producing high-quality baby and children’s wooden toys made from sustainable materials; it is one of the world’s largest producers of wood toys, with products being sold all over the globe.
Comes with two-burner stovetop, oven, and sink. Small shelf on top and the four storage compartments on the bottom.
Dimensions: 21 inches wide, 13 inches deep, and 28 inches high.
Kids can play with the fake stove knobs, or hide their favorite things in the shelves, or play with the sink faucet.
Hape also makes multiple collections of food and utensils your kids can incorporate into their play.
Overall, if you need something simpler and more practical for your young toddler’s playtime, I really recommend this Hape play kitchen.
Hape Gourmet Kitchen Kid’s Wooden Play Kitchen
This one is a slightly toned-down version of the above Hape model and comes with slightly fewer features, such as fewer knobs and fewer shelves.
It’s simple and sweet, it is not at all big. Kids will love the oven and under the sink compartments that can be used to their favorite play food and tools.
If you are looking for something smaller and/or cheaper but like the Hape aesthetic, this miniature version is a nice option.
Teamson Kids Kids Play Kitchen
Here’s another option with good value, as you get a lot of things for the price. This retro pretend wooden play kitchen from Teamson Kids includes a microwave and other small accessories, among other things.
Cute knobs, two burners on the stove, removable sink, fridge, microwave, space for extra storage.
Activity
A lot of things we do need a step-by-step plan. A recipe also is a step-y-step plan to make a dish. It includes a list of ingredients as well as a set of instructions.
Use the template given below to write the recipe for your kids favourite dishes. As your child to use words such as “first”, “then”, “finally” to write your recipe.
Recipe: How to make…
- What you need:
- What you do:
- First:
- Then:
- Next:
- After That
- Finally:
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