Pretend Play Kitchens
There is a range of pretend play kitchens available for children that come in different sizes, materials and offer a number of different features. These tiny kitchens are fantastic additions for the developmental journey of a child. It provides opportunities for many types of lessons and peaks their imaginations, which is crucial for any child growing up.
What are the benefits of a child using a play kitchen?
There are many benefits of children playing with a toy kitchen including the following:
- Social and emotional development: When kids play make believe, they are able to be anyone they want to be. When they are able to use something like a play kitchen, they get an idea of what it would be like to be a chef or perhaps just to feel what it is like to cook or bake something. This gives the child confidence and gives them strength and the curiosity to explore new things.
- Communication: Whenever a child engages in play, whether it be with their toy kitchen, their parents, dog or friends, they will engage in conversation. They will usually mimic adults in that sense. Plus, it may encourage reading and writing, as they compile shopping lists or create recipes for use in their play kitchen.
- Mental development: Even if it is just play, when a child is interacting with a toy kitchen, there are mental challenges they are bound to encounter. Perhaps they lost a tea cup and they need to improvise or perhaps something they were cooking burnt and they need to figure out what to do. This promotes creative thinking and stimulates their logical reasoning.
Wooden or plastic play kitchen?
Since there are a number of types of pretend kitchens on the market, you may find yourself wondering whether a wooden play kitchen or a plastic play kitchen is better to buy for your child. In terms of cost, a plastic kitchen is usually a little less expensive than a wooden one, but perhaps not as high quality. Depending on the type of children's kitchen you buy, assembling plastic kitchens are relatively easy, but may result in a structure that is a little flimsy. Unless it is recyclable plastic, wooden play kitchens are usually more eco-friendly and sturdy. All in all, there are positive and negative aspects with both types of kids' kitchen sets.