Children’s Pretend Play Kitchens—Make Their Culinary Dreams Come True

Children's Pretend Play Kitchens

While the strongest associations that play time recalls are such activities as playing ball, riding bikes or utilizing playground equipment, the truth is that this form of play is not the only component to that of normal child development. Children learn by imagining and doing, and pretend play is a critical part of childhood that assists in the development of cognitive and social skills. All too often, adults turn to technological activities as a replacement for classic hands-on, make-believe play, when the advantages for early pretend play are some of the most beneficial experiences of youth.

Pretend play encourages the development for cognitive flexibility, language skills, social skills, problem solving and, of course, creativity. Among these is the opportunity to bond during cooperative play.

One of the most popular dramatic play activities is playing house. Kids love to pretend they are performing the domestic tasks they see their parents do each day such as cooking for their family. A pretend play kitchen provides the perfect canvas for kids to practice their pretend play skills. We feature a large selection of children’s pretend play kitchens from award winning manufacturers that are made from child-safe materials and are large enough for multiple children to play together. Here are a few favorites:

Kidkraft Navy Blue Vintage Kitchen

Kidkraft paid close attention to detail when they designed their vintage-inspired navy blue kitchen. This realistic play kitchen comes with everything little chefs could possibly need to cook up big feats and yummy treats; refrigerator, freezer, microwave, oven, stove, AND the kitchen sink! All doors open and close, the oven knobs really turn, and the sink is removable for easy cleaning. A cordless phone is even included so you can phone your order in to the chef. The attractive navy pairs well with the contrasting white finish handles and silver fixtures. The sturdy wooden construction offers reliable safety for endless hours of playtime fun that encourages a sprinkle of role playing and a dash of imagination!

Hape Gourmet Kitchen - Green

The Hape Gourmet Kitchen presents itself in bold and bright colors that draw the eye and invite you to play. The kitchen's unique and simple design is streamlined for play and opens up a world of endless possibilities for imaginative pretend play. This wooden kitchen invites exploration with fun interactive features such as real working knobs, a towel rack, hutch for storing pots and pans and a preview window on the oven door. Kids will have a blast using their imaginations to cook up tasty pretend meals. This fun creative kitchen in green is a treat when it comes to imaginary and imitative play.

Kidkraft Pink Retro Kitchen and Refrigerator

Make the most out of play time with the Kidkraft Pink Retro Kitchen and Refrigerator. Aspiring chefs will discover this kitchen comes complete with everything they need to get cooking. Youngsters will find a refrigerator, oven, sink and counter to work their culinary magic on. Doors open and close giving access to storage, the oven door offers a preview window and also opens and closes, and knobs turn and click. The sturdy wood construction handles playtime with ease while the retro pastel design is a fun touch that parents and kids alike will love. This fun design also comes in lavender and blue.

Guidecraft Cook’s Nook Kitchen

Girls and boys will become master chefs in this Cook’s Nook Kitchen from Guidecraft that fits into any playroom and adapts well to corners due to its L-shape design. Kids will love the appealing pop of red accenting the kitchen's colorful palette. Styled like a real kitchen, this wooden play set is equipped with microwave, a refrigerator and freezer, an oven and a stove with clicking knobs, a sink with a faucet and a towel rack. Upper and lower shelves and cabinets offer plenty of storage for play food, dishes, and appliances. Serve your guests via the serving window with decorative awning and announce today's special with exterior chalkboard. A write-on/wipe-off board on the side offers endless opportunities to be creative. 

A Kid Place knows the value of pretend play and boasts an inventory that reflects this. Our online emporium is stocked with an endless variety of toys, themed furnishings, educational toys, and more. You'll find we have the best toys for children’s make-believe play!

Best Wooden Train Tables for Ultimate Playtime Fun

Wooden Train Tables and Sets

Give your kids a great place to build their own twisting, turning railway, where trains toot over bridges and clickety-clack through tunnels all while developing fine motor skills. Wooden train tables provide the ultimate playtime fun and keep track pieces contained and level and, in many cases, also offer storage bonuses! As pint-sized engineers work to piece tracks together, they are expanding their imagination and learning the ways in which the world works around them.

Train tables offer an attractive addition to any play space and come in a variety of types and sizes.  Have great fun discovering these wondrous train tables for your child and put a smile on both your faces:

Kidkraft Waterfall Junction Train Set & Table

Awash in vibrant, lively colors, this Waterfall Junction Train Set & Table set pairs a sturdy platform surface with an interactive train set with numerous bonuses that children and parents alike will love! A total of two tracks are included with the table: 1) one wooden set that can be put together in a myriad of different ways, as well as 2) one plastic track attached to the base of the table that offers additional ways to play. Featuring 112 pieces, imaginations can run wild with airplane, helicopter, bulldozer, police car, three train cars, trees, street signs, construction cones, working crane, grinning townspeople and more! A fire station, drive-through mine and mountain with waterfall add dimension and realism to the wooden train layout. Four bins offer storage for unused pieces. This exciting set is compatible with Brio and Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway vehicles and play sets.

Nilo Wooden Multi-Activity Table

The Nilo Wooden Multi-Activity Table will drive you round the bend and back! Kids will enjoy hours of play with this handsome and sturdily built solid hardwood table that allows them to sit comfortably with legs under the table for optimal posture for healthy growing bodies. Smooth, rounded edges keep playtime safe and a raised edge border keeps pieces on the table and off the floor. A double sided melamine surface will become the place for many exciting games and adventures and offers a higher quality than you will find with other play tables. Included with this table is a Nilo Graphic Play Mat with detailed graphics that include trees, roads, rocks, airstrips, grass, beaches and water. Parents will love that this table is easy to assemble. Coordinating pieces are available for this table such as roll-out storage bins, a toy chest and stools.

Kidkraft Metropolis Train Table and Set

Take playtime off the floor with the Kidkraft Metropolis Train Table and Set in an attractive espresso finish and solid wood frame. The mature design of this table is as ideal for play as it is for doubling as a coffee table when not in use! Interactive features keep little hands entertained with city-themed accents such as mountain with drive-through tunnel, airport with helipad, and a two-tiered bridge. Kids will enjoy playing with these many accessories just as much as s/he enjoys the trains. With 100-pieces, there's many ways to play and construct your railway. Easily conceal unused parts or stow away the whole train set in the large wooden trundle located underneath the table. This train table and set is compatible with many different wooden train sets such as Brio and Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway vehicles and play sets.

Beka Train Table

The open-ended two piece Baltic Birch top design of this Beka Train Table features a smooth surface with no distracting graphics. This feature allows children to make the most of their imagination as it encourages independent thought. Built for strength, as well as beauty, the original hard maple design of this table effortlessly supports all the weight you'd imagine it to encounter and is constructed at a height that allows not only children to sit and play comfortably, but also adults as well—a feature not found in many train tables. The nifty recessed top helps keep small toys and game pieces on the table and up off the floor. The two-piece top offers some wiggle room so installation is easy and finger pinches can be prevented. This quality constructed activity table made in the U.S.A. boasts a neutral finish perfect for any play room or bedroom, and is ideal for both boys and girls.

A Kid Place is an exciting one-stop shop you can peruse from the comfort of your home. Order all your children’s holiday gifts in one convenient place. We're all about kids as you can tell from our colorful, cheerful website that is as easy to navigate as it is to look at! Check us out and cross everyone off your list with our amazing inventory of unique toys and furniture.

Educational Toys Under $50.00

Educational Toys Under $50.00

New worlds of imagination and discovery are opened to children when unique ways of learning are offered in the form of fun games and activities. Invite children to learn and explore their world with fun educational toys that can be used at home for independent, cooperative or parent-led play. However you introduce the fun of learning, you'll never regret sharing with them the gift of knowledge.

Encourage your child to learn with these fun and friendly toys that provide kids with endless possibilities to grow their minds and learn more about the world around them. The featured products are educational toys under $50.00 and they make great holiday gifts for the child in your life:

Anatex Magnetic Travel USA Map

Discover all 50 U.S. states from the convenience of your home with this innovative, self-contained Magnetic Travel USA Map. This fun and unique learning toy includes 2 magnetic wands tethered to the board that are used to maneuver the colored balls around each state border to get from one destination to another. No loose pieces mean no lost parts and it is also a cinch to store! Made in America, this educational toy allows for home teaching as your child learns each state's name and location during play.

Guidecraft 3D Feel & Find

Employing cognitive development, this 3D Feel & Find learning set features 20 wooden shapes with matching, textured tiles, all in a durable canvas bag. The object of this educational game is for children to match shapes to their given tiles by touch alone. Deal out the tiles, then each child (if more than one is playing at a time) will take turns reaching into the bag to explore the shapes within and discover the one that matches their tile by its shape and texture. Pieces includes geometric and object shapes. Great for solo or cooperative play.

Anatex Magnetic Gumball Counting Game

Winner of Creative Child Magazine's Preferred Choice Award, the Anatex Magnetic Gumball Counting Game is designed to encourage math skills as well as hand-eye coordination and manipulative skills. Made of wood and entirely enclosed, this educational toy invites kids to make use of the attached magnetic wands and guide balls through the maze to place the correct number in each space in accordance with their assigned number. Brightly colored in a fun and familiar theme, kids will discover the fun of learning with this unique lap toy. Made in the U.S.A.

Kidkraft Triangle Activity Bead Maze

Boys and girls will glean endless hours of fun and fascination as they explore every angle of this exciting wooden triangle activity toy from Kidkraft. Crafted to develop shape and color recognition and hand-eye coordination, this activity toy offers kids a unique platform on which to practice learning their ABCs, colors and shapes. Turn gears or spin blocks that feature different pictures with letters printed on them, or race nine colorful beads along the winding wire track. Each brightly colored panel offers a new way to learn and the bead maze panel is removable to access the interior of the activity triangle.

With the holiday season just around the corner, A Kid Place is stocked and ready with all the latest popular and unique toys that your children will be thrilled to receive. Whether you are looking for the perfect dollhouse, themed bedroom furniture or train table, we have it all and infinitely more.  We carry toys for homes, waiting rooms and classrooms for endless ways to play and learn!