Let's play kitchen!
The imaginative play that I can actually get into.
Imaginative play does not come easily to me as a parent.
Maybe it is related to the fact that my idea of imaginative play as a child often included pretending I was a librarian and cutting out little pieces of paper to stamp the “library books” (my own books) I wanted to “check out” one after the other.
With my kids, I’d rather make art, bake cookies, or get books at the library (productive tasks!) than pretend that I’m Thomas the Tank Engine and I have urgent business on the Island of Sodor. But there’s one kind of imaginative play that I can really get into: food play.
Set up the stuffed animals and serve them like they’re in a restaurant? That is fun! (Even more fun if we wrote down each of their orders and tallied them into a bill, calculated a tip, and paid, but maybe we will get there soon.)
Anyway, the holiday season is quickly approaching, so below are our favorite items that we’ve enjoyed for the past few years in case you want ideas!
Learning Resources Play Food
Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Counter
Green Toys Tea Set
IKEA Play Kitchen
IKEA Stainless Steel Play Cookware Set
Lakeshore Learning Puppets (for pretend restaurant guests)
Make a menu with things from the kitchen and laminate it for customers! Also- name your restaurant! We named ours the "Good Morning Diner" (it's heavy on soup and ice cream)
Don't forget the little table and chairs that you both can sit at (well, perhaps you need to keep a knee on floor so as not to break the chair) with all of the food laid out to make some very interesting sandwiches together! and pour tea, nibble little rubber donuts and little rubber bagels ... : )