Play kitchen sets provide great pretend fun for toddlers who want to mimic their parents cooking in the kitchen! Here is a list of some awesome play sets your kid will love.
KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen
This kitchen play set by Kidcraft is made to look like a real little kitchen (in your kids eyes). Just looking at the picture you would assume there is some actual chrome in there, even looking at it close up in real life will give you this impression!
Upon further examination though, you will see that it is just a really convincing design! Your toddler will think they have a real kitchen.
Your youngin’ will get carried away into kitchen fantasy as all appliances are interactive, the doors open and close, knobs turn and click and plus there is a working chalkboard on the freezer door to jot down recipes and/or smiley faces.
The Uptown Espresso Kitchen received the Parents’ Choice Toy of the Year Award in 2016 and remains a best seller.
KidKraft Ultimate Corner Kitchen Playset with Lights and Sounds
This play kitchen is HUGE compared to others. It has everything you’d want in a kitchen play set and more, like a laundry washer.
This one is great if you know you’ll have more than 2 kids playing. Accommodates a friggin’ team of kitchen help!
The stove burners light-up when your child and friends play with it to enhance the fun. The ice cube machine makes sounds just like the real thing. The stove knobs click and make realistic sounds. All the doors open and close. All around this is a fun and engaging life-like pretend kitchen set!
Make sure you have enough room though, as this one is really big.
This one comes with a white finish and a “fancy” tile decor behind the sink. A very cool look that beats most play kitchens that feel more plastic and fake.
Rainbow Sophia Wood Toy Pretend Play Kitchen
The design of this kitchen set is pretty amazing. It has a vintage white look with a “homey” type of feel. A place to hang cooking utensils and plenty of storage for pretend play cookware. This one also includes a phone so your child can make phone calls while they are cooking!
I especially liked the lower trim design that makes it look like a legit piece of furniture.
Step2 Heart Of The Home Kitchen Playset
The Heart of the Home kitchen play set isn’t as “realistic” looking as the ones above but I’m sure your child won’t mind once the cooking imagination kicks in because has everything a kid would want and more!
The set comes with a whopping 41 pieces of kitchen accessories and has ample storage space for those and more if you choose to buy more accessories.
Your kids will love the pretend electronic phone that makes realistic sounds so they can mimic mom as she takes calls while cooking!
Other notable unique includes are a pet nurturing center, a recycling bin, and a reusable grocery bag to develop those good environmental habits early!
Step2 Great Gourmet Play Kitchen
Like the one above, this one has TONS of fun kitchen play accessories to make your little one feel like a busy gourmet chef!
Comes with a large variety of accessories. Includes a stove-top with lights and sounds, a double oven, see-through window, a refrigerator with built-in water dispenser, coffeemaker with pods, microwave, double sink, faux-granite counter-top, chalkboard, and plenty of storage spots.
Farm to Table Play Kitchen with EZ Kraft Assembly
The Farm to Table set is a super cute play kitchen that comes with 18-piece accessory and play-food set. The carrot and beets are friggin’ adorable and your child can “cut” them up like a professional prep cook!
The ice cube dispenser is more fun than other models because not only does it make the sounds of dispensing, it comes with 3 fake ice cubes so something actually comes out!
All in all, this is a great minimal kitchen set up that makes for great pretend kitchen play!
Lucky Doug Kids Toddlers Play Kitchen Playset
This play kitchen is a great option if you want a pretend kitchen for your kids, but don’t want it to take up too much space. Likewise, it is a great buy if you are trying to save money! Compact and affordable are two words that describe this kitchen set.
You still get a good bang for your buck though, as it comes with a variety of different play accessory toys and can pump water out of the faucet!
Step2 Espresso Bar Play Kitchen
The Step2 Espresso Bar is another great choice to save on space and money. Compact enough not to take up too much room, but equally enough to keep a couple of kids entertained for hours of kitchen play!
This model has lots of storage space for toys and new cookware accessories. The Keurig-style coffee maker is what I love most about this one!
Step2 Fun with Friends Pink Play Kitchen
Little girls will love this colorful, bright pink kitchen set that comes with all sorts of accessories and play items.
Interactive stove tops with lights & sounds, a sink with a swivel faucet, a dish rack to keep organized and all sorts of fun cookware accessories! There is also a spot underneath for pets, real or imaginary!
Why You Should Definitely Buy a Kitchen Play Set!
The benefits of buying a play set are mostly from the encouragement for your child to use their imagination during play. It is tempting (and easier) to just let them play apps on their tablet or your phone all day. However, it is becoming clear too much screen time is not healthy and kids should be exercising their minds with creative type play.
Something like a pretend kitchen is also great to get kids excited about real-world “adulting” activities. Who knows, a play kitchen set might lead to your child becoming a world-class cook before they hit puberty!
Another great idea for imaginative type play that develops healthy habits are play cleaning sets! Ingrain those cleaning skills in young so they are ready for their real chores when they get a little older!
Unlike some toys for toddlers, investing in a pretend kitchen will last for years.
At first your child may not know what to do, content with banging pots and pans, throwing the fake plastic cookware everywhere. Later on though, your child and friends will grow to use it in other ways, exercising their imagination by managing their own restaurant.
Whatever the case may be, kids with a healthy imagination will find creative ways to play with a kitchen set.
Plus you can spice up the fun over the years by buying inexpensive cookware add-ons, pretend food pieces and the like. Cooking pretend spaghetti one week, and lamb chops the next!
Overall, buying something that forces your child to use their imagination and creativity is SO much better than buying a tablet with apps that stifle creativity and imagination.