Best Play Kitchens
There’s something magically nostalgic and appealing about a play kitchen—they truly serve up a ton of fun for kids and grown-ups alike. With lots of doors to open and details to observe, play kitchens can grab and hold a little chef’s interest for hours at a time.
You may remember seeing the same yellow plastic Little Tikes play kitchen in every one of your friends’ homes when you were growing up. But these days, play kitchens vary widely in size, appearance, materials, options and cost.
And about that cost: play kitchens require a decent chunk of change and take up more floor space than the average toy. But the beauty of a play kitchen is it can appeal to a wide range of ages, interests and abilities. For example, a non-walking child can open and shut doors and put food in the oven, an active toddler can build vocabulary and fine motor skills and an older child can use their imagination and learn to work together.
Play kitchens can also:
- Help picky eaters work through food aversions
- Boost learning about coloring, counting and more
- Promote independence
- Reduce clutter (just make sure that food and utensils can be stored within the kitchen cupboards!)
Your child will likely use that kitchen for years. Trust us.
That initial investment of time and space will likely pay off as kids gain valuable skills…and you gain time to sit and have coffee while they play independently.
Here are some of our favorite play kitchens:
This gender neutral kitchen set by Teamson would give Chip and Joanna a run for their money (it even comes with its own fridge!) When you checkout with Klarna, you can split your payments on the Teamson Kids Kitchen Set (and a ton of other gifts up to $2,000) into four easy installments paid over time.*
*CA resident loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Financing Law license.
Rosie Colosi writes books for curious kids and articles for parents who are counting the minutes until bedtime. Once upon a lifetime ago, she played Mrs. Claus in The Christmas Spectacular Starring The Radio City Rockettes, but now she mostly focuses on singing songs from Annie to her two little girls.
