HomerThe Best Play Kitchen Will Help Your Child to Develop Valuable Life Skills
I bet that you had an enjoyable time playing like a pretend chef or driver when you were young. In your imaginary world, you spend hours having a fun time with friends and siblings and developed valuable life skills along the way. Nowadays the situation is different. Children spend a lot of time watching television or playing with gadgets such as phones or tablets, which frustrates parents. You can change this with a play kitchen.
Pretend Play | Best Play Kitchen
Note: We have reviewed some of the best play kitchens for children in 2023 in the second half of this article.
As a parent, children are among the most important people in your life. You must make sure that they grow healthy and metamorphosize into the best versions of themselves by providing a good childhood. Play, for instance, is critical for growth and development. It not only boosts motor development but also acquaints kids with the necessary skills to succeed in life from a young age. Here are some of the most critical life skills your child will develop from pretend play at home:
- Ignites their creativity
- Teaches valuable lessons on cooperation
- Boosts their leadership skills
- Sharpens their skills in strategy development
- Children learn to be independent at a young age
- Boosts language skills
- Improves storytelling skills
- Boosts happiness and thus health
- Enhances random life skills
Ignites Their Creativity
You probably know that creativity pays in adulthood as some of the most successful and influential people in the world are artists. It cuts across professions and therefore is one of the most valuable skills that you can help your child to develop from a young age. Creative people can write music lyrics for themselves or other artists. They can also develop and monetize smartphone applications and offer intuitive solutions to everyday problems using the available resources. Without creativity, people will copy each other’s ideas, thus limiting progression.
Role-playing cuts across different niches that appeal to different children. Some like playing on pirate ships. Others enjoy being mechanics, while others enjoy cooking in kitchens. No matter the niche that your child prefers, he or she can come up with thousands of different roles to play or things to do. Unlike repetitive smartphone games, role-playing games offer a unique experience every time. Children think of new ideas every day, which boosts their creativity.
They Will Learn How to Cooperate
During interviews, most potential job applicants have one common response when asked to state their best quality. Usually, most people say that they are good at teamwork, which is what they think interviewers always want to hear. Teamwork is a critical attribute in the workplace buy its virtually worthless if you cannot cooperate with your peers and other colleagues. This is one of the reasons people do not have friends.
While pretend playing, your child will make a lot of friends as the game is enjoyable. Moreover, they will learn to cooperate with their peers or colleagues and learn how to share responsibility for the betterment of a venture. Overall, they will be leaders in their way from a young age.
Improve Their Leadership Skills
While role-playing in the kitchen, your child will develop apt leadership skills. Contrary to what people think, leaders are not born but made. From role-playing games such as kitchens, children learn how to lead a team of people to meet specific challenges or goals. Through practice, they also learn how to strategize and tackle different jobs seamlessly in the kitchen and life. You cannot succeed without being a leader.
Throughout history, some of the most successful or revered leaders honed their skills on the battlefield. This is different, though, from the one imparted in children. Throughout childhood, the subconscious mind cannot differentiate between the imaginary world and the real world. The directions we offer them and the activities they engage in every day shape their thinking and ability to lead, so always do the right thing.
Become Knowledgeable in The Art of Strategy
Let us chat about the art of strategy a bit. Do you know how planning your thoughts or activities can help you in the real world? If you have unorganized thoughts or strategies, it is safe to say that your life is a complete mess. Moreover, if you lack planning skills or your planning skills are poor, you are more likely to experience disasters such as debt or make poor financial or relationship decisions, which is a bummer.
To avoid such problems in adulthood, you should teach your child strategy from a young age. He or she should be able to plan steps logically and act on them to succeed in whatever they do. Play kitchens are not only fun but also contribute to the development of the art of strategy.
Learn Independence
The world can be unforgiving to people who cannot adapt to its changes – I am sure that you are aware of this as a parent. If you have a child that is too dependent on you, he or she might have a hard time adapting when it is time to leave the nest. Therefore, developing self-independence at a young age is paramount. It will help them to make good choices once they leave home and chart out the best path to success by themselves. Independent individuals are fighters who can overcome most challenges.
If you have a toddler at home, she or he will cling to you whenever you are eating or watching a movie. Children scream or cry whenever you leave them alone or fail to tend to their needs. However, once you introduce your child to role-playing, you might cease to exist in his or her world. They will not only stay engaged and happy but also learn how to deal with adversities on the own, stimulating growth. Without pretend play your child will take significantly longer to learn independence. Thus, grab this opportunity by offering your kid a pretend kitchen now.
Enhanced Language Skills
Many adults have a small/rudimentary vocabulary because of their poor language skills. They speak to the same group of people or engage in the same activity every day, which impedes growth and development. Most “Worldly” or influential people have not traveled extensively, unlike what some people think, but scale the social ladder because of their better or exceptional language skills. Provide your kid the opportunity.
Pretend play while help your child to develop a richer vocabulary while having fun at the same time. They will have a better understanding of the activities in the kitchen, including the plethora of dishes that they cook. He or she will also have a better understanding of the food sources and build better communication skills with other kids and the imaginary friends he or she will come up with while preparing sumptuous meals. As such, your children will develop quicker than other kids their age.
Good Storytelling Skills
Whether you are a politician or a marketer, you should be able to pass across your message in a clear and fun way to “hook” people. This shows the benefits of storytelling, which we should strive to develop from a young age. It comes in handy during interviews. Moreover, it can help you to make successful legal submissions and excel everywhere in life.
Therefore, if you are a parent, put yourself in your kid’s shoes. While they are playing, the only thing that runs through their heads is stories. They try to concoct better and more interesting ones occasionally while having fun. By offering a pretend/play toy, you will be teaching his or her brain this valuable skill and guarantee a better livelihood in old age.
Always Happy
The incidence of psychological diseases such as depression is at an all-time high due to epidemics and other ills. Moreover, because millions of people live in a state of anxiety, mental illnesses are unavoidable. Being happy is one of the simplest yet most effective remedies for such issues. If you are happy about yourself, you are less likely to have depression.
This is what happens whenever children are playing pretend games. While most children have a fun time in secluded play areas in homes, role-playing games make the experience even better. They can use objects to role play and amuse themselves. They also laugh and giggle whenever they make the right or wrong decisions, which keeps their heads in a euphoric state, which persists until adulthood. Thus, if you want a child to be happy as an adult, keep him/her happy while young.
Pretend play comes in many forms that kids love.
Random Life Skills
Did you know that a pretend game can develop our child’s random life skills from a young age? This essential skill is critical for the success of humans in different niches in adulthood. In the military, for instance, the first few weeks of training do not involve shooting guns. Instead, soldiers learn basic life skills, including folding clothes, ironing, and how to take good care of themselves indoors and outdoors. They also learn how to cook food and use a washing machine, essential life skills that can help them thrive at work, at home, and in society in general.
With the help of a roleplay toy, your child can learn these skills early and have smoother adulthood as a result. They can learn how to wash dirty laundry or pack a suitcase for the holidays. If you order a kitchen, he or she will also learn how to cook a tasty meal, among many other random life skills. Let us check out the best play kitchens that deliver.
And Now…
The Best Play Kitchens for Children
Even though children are easy to please with and other props, most of them need something more than standard toys. A great way to keep them happy and contribute to their wellbeing as well is by providing a play kitchen. We have discussed a few that are suitable for girls and boys.
Step2 Grand Walk-In Kitchen & Grill | Best Play Kitchen
Features:
- Sufficient playing space for multiple kids, including a stainless steel refrigerator, attached dining area, and toy kitchen appliances that engage and entertain children for many hours.
- A realistic stovetop, phone, and grill.
- Has a large toy sink with a swiveling faucet that kids can use to wash their hands, prepare play ingredients, and wash play dishes.
- Colorful accessory set (103 pieces) made from kid-safe materials.
- Uses four AAA and two AA batteries (not included).
- Requires assembly by an adult.
Overview
Do you want your child to enjoy a real-life cooking experience without spending a lot of money on a new kitchen? This is one of the best play kitchens for kids by far to date. Even though cost-effective, you get a big toy kitchen with a roof, which dwarfs comparable models in many ways. It is perfect for hosting play adventures. Children can also engage in role-playing with siblings of friends, as it provides enough space for multiple users. The 103 accessories will boost the organization skills of your kid.
The product has an attached dining area that your child can use to serve pretend food to friends and other family members. After dinner, she can package leftovers and store them in a fridge with a charming steel door. Finally, you get sufficient space for other kitchen accessories such as pans and pots. It will take your kid time to fill them all as they are large.
Details:
- Recommended age: 2 and up
- Dimensions: 47×50.75×36.38-inches
- Weight: 50 pounds (Ibs.)
KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen | Best Play Kitchen
Features:
- Accommodates multiple children at the same time.
- The freezer, refrigerator, freezer, microwave, dishwasher, and oven are large and have doors that you can open and close easily.
- The freezer has a chalkboard surface.
- Innovative speckled countertop design.
- Vast storage space above its sink.
- Durable and kid-safe composite wood material.
- Comes with detailed step-by-step assembly instructions.
Overview
A chalkboard positioned outside the freezer of this product is one of its standout features. Children can use it to write detailed shopping lists for supper or a party. It is also large enough to fit a few recipes, which is a plus. None of the other accessories in this package has this novel feature, which is a bummer, as it can inspire creativity or boost critical thinking. The manufacturer should rethink this as it can add value to this product.
Most of the main components of this play kitchen open and close. Thus, your child will know how to open and close doors. This is not the case with a model with open shelves or drawers. The kitchen also has a towel rack that might remind your child to clean up after cooking and pegs for hanging components such as pans or pots, which add to its value further.
KidKraft Vintage Kitchen | Best Play Kitchen
Features:
- Doors have knobs that turn, opening and closing doors.
- Spacious storage area for your stuff above its sink.
- Five-piece accessory set (metal) recommended for pretend cooking. It offers all sorts of fun to children.
- Removable and easy-to-clean sink.
- Has a microwave, cordless phone, and oven.
- Smart and long-lasting design.
- Durable, composite wood material.
- Step-by-step assembly instructions in the package.
Available in Red, Blue, and Pink.
Overview
The Vintage model of this product mimics the Uptown Espresso model in terms of design and functionality. Therefore, evaluate the two options and order a model that will look good in your home and that will appeal to your child. However. This model has additional features, including a pretend kitchen phone that your child can use to “communicate” and improve his or her vocabulary naturally. Buy worry-free for a kid now.
During pretend play, children can create a mess with pretend food, which makes the experience even more lifelike. The manufacturer has provided a solution for this. Its large sink can accommodate most of the pretend food and utensils in the package. Therefore, after use, kids can give their accessories a good scrub in it before storage in cupboards. Even though you will need a lot of free space to set up this product, it is a good choice as it is durable, beneficial, and accommodates many kids.
Little Tikes Cook ‘N Grow Kitchen | Best Play Kitchen
Features:
- The kitchen comes in configurations for two ages:
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- A model with an expanded kitchen suitable for toddlers
- A model with a compacted kitchen suitable for preschoolers
- Electronic cooking sounds.
- Hooks for securing your cups.
- Molded-in slots for securing your plates.
- The refrigerator, oven, and microwave have doors that close and open.
- Shape-sorting lid for the pots excellent for developing fine motor skills.
- Has 25 high-quality accessories.
- Needs two AA alkaline batteries to work (not included).
- Assembly needed.
Overview
This is one of the best play kitchens for toddlers and young children that you will come across on the Internet. If you have ab active child that loves to role-play during her or his free time, this is an excellent gift. It is a little less complicated than other bestsellers, which makes it ideal for kids. It is also lower to the ground (shorter) and has a heavy-duty, height-adjustable design that can withstand abuse for long. Your child will have an enjoyable time using this product. It is also safer than competitors and has interesting sounds (electronic noises) that fascinate most children.
With this product, your child will learn how to keep food fresh using a refrigerator. She or he will also have a better understanding of how to use a microwave to make quick snacks or to prepare fancy pretend treats in the oven while having fun at the same time. Even though the toy is small, it offers sufficient space for play accessories such as plates and cups. It also promotes role-play and influences the development of kids.
Children enjoy using this product. While yours might fumble with its controls in the beginning, it delivers a fun and unique experience every time without sacrificing comfort. It lasts for long and is easy to set up.
KidKraft Grand Gourmet Corner Play Kitchen
Features:
- The doors of the oven, dishwasher, microwave, and refrigerator all open and close
- The sink has cloth curtains at the back.
- Has four metal accessories, including two spatulas, a pan, and a pot
- You can remove and clean the sink effortlessly
- Large enough to fit multiple children at the same time
Overview
From the name Grand Gourmet Corner Kitchen, it is evident that you are getting a premium product that blends well with most homes. You can set it up in a corner or a kid’s room without it taking up a lot of space or looking out of place. It is slightly bigger than comparable products from KidKraft kitchens. However, the accessories are also bigger and thus fun to use in most settings. The pots and pans, for instance, are one of a kind. You also get real metal accessories and more realistic scenarios.
The size and layout of the kitchen are suitable for kids who enjoy playing in groups. Two or more kids can play on the product at the same time without bumping into each other or struggling for space, as is the case with other similar brands. Therefore, even though it is not as spacious as the Step2 model, it will not only entertain your child but also contribute to the development of corporation and development skills. You also get real knobs with audible clickers which adds to the value of this product.
Which is the Best Play Kitchen for Children?
If you are shopping for a new gift for your child, I hope that this article has helped. The plethora of play kitchen sets we have reviewed are among the best in this niche. We also offer valuable information on these products such as their benefits and the potential impact that they can have on your child. They are suitable for children of all ages. They are also entertaining, encourage imagination, and can fast track the development of your child’s motor and critical thinking skills from a young age. This is the best birthday gift you can offer a child in 2023.
