6 Reasons Your Child Needs a Play Kitchen!!
One of my favorite memories of my childhood was playing “kitchen” with my mom! Little did I know how much I was learning in those moments! Not only was my language developing, but my love and enjoyment for interacting with others grew, too! Eventually, I upgraded from a play kitchen to a real kitchen to practice all the fun skills I had learned in a real life scenario!
So, what affect can a toy kitchen have on your child’s development??
(1) Practice/Teach Social Skills
Whether your child is playing with a sibling/peer or with you, a play kitchen is an excellent avenue for teaching your child turn-taking (see my previous blog post on this) by splitting the “duties” in the kitchen (cooking a meal, washing dishes, prepping cooking materials by chopping vegetables, etc.). Your child can also work together (joint attention!!!) with a sibling or peer to discover new and fun ways to play in the kitchen!
Pretend play is another important and great reason to get a play kitchen (see my previous blog post on playing). The possibilities with pretend play with a kitchen set is truly endless!! Your child can be the head chef at a restaurant from running a bakery to being a waiter/waitress!
(2) Build Your Child’s Vocabulary and Language
Categorization can help your child develop their executive function skills by helping them not only increase their vocabulary, but also helping them organize their thoughts and form/make logical decisions. You can categorize with any of the following: food groups (fruits vegetables), non food groups (utensils, cutlery), color, etc.
Nouns: plate, cup, fork, knife, spoon, apply, bread, chicken, microwave, sink, etc.
Verbs: pour, cut, wash, dry, stir, bake, freeze, cook, mash, etc.
Opposites: hot/cold, wet/dry, big/little, full/empty, dirty/clean, etc.
Sequencing: learning how to follow a recipe or putting the steps into the correct order
You can even practice vocabulary that you would use in a restaurant: waiter/waitress, chef, menu, order, etc.
(3) Fine Motor Skill Development
Practice picking items (utensils, dishes, etc.) up or small food items on a plate.
Opening kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, dishwasher using knobs or handles or turning the handles on the sink, etc.
Teach cutting, scooping, stirring, and more! Velcro food items are perfect for practicing cutting!
Printing Skills by writing out a menu or being a waiter who writes down customer orders. You can even ask for a copy of a kids menu at a restaurant and either take it home or take a picture as a model menu!
(4) Problem Solving Skills
You child can practice figuring out how to fit the dishes in the cupboard or figuring out other storage solutions for kitchen gadgets and utensils.
Maybe you’re playing restaurant and you order pizza but there is no food that actually represents pizza? Your child will need to figure out what else can be used to represent pizza!
As more and more “cooks are in the kitchen”, your child will need to work together with others to figure out solutions to problems that arise.
(5) Early Academic Skills
Don’t be afraid to start pushing those early academic skills!! Counting, color recognition, and early literacy are all important for a child’s development and learning and are all things that can be taught with a play kitchen (red pepper, yellow banana, blue plate, 2 apples, etc.).
(6) It Grows as Your child Grows!!
Play kitchens, for one, come in a variety of shapes and sizes so you can find a kitchen or kitchen starter that fits well in your house!!
You child may go through phases where they ignore a play kitchen, but most children go through “toy phases”. A kitchen is something that your child can use at age 2 and throughout their life until age 12 or more! What is so cool is the transformation that occurs and maturing of your child’s play is amazing to watch!
Why not upgrade from a play kitchen to a real life kitchen? Your child can practice cooking with you, doing dishes, etc.
