When was the last time you walked into a kindergarten or first grade classroom and remember seeing a wooden kitchen play set sitting in the corner? Generally it had a play stove top and oven with red knobs, kitchen utensils in the cabinet, perhaps a refrigerator off the side, plus, some utensils that sit in a drawer.

There is a reason so many classrooms have play kitchen sets in them – life skills. Boys and girls learn tremendously valuable lessons and sills from playing with a toy kitchen. This make believe play, whether in the classroom or at home provides important skills that carry on through their lives. Let me explain.

We know that pretend play is fascinating for children because they see their parents or caretakers making meals daily in their home kitchens. Whether Mom or Dad is baking cookies, hamburgers or a special ethnic meal, the kids know it is important because this one area of their lives takes much of their time and effort. For the kids, the time spent in the kitchen is very, very important.

During the holidays, one of the biggest toy purchasing times of the year, you will see parents gravitate toward this one big items because they know that the hours of fun developing imaginative play skills will serve their children well as they get older. A kids kitchen play set is one of the best long term investments you can make for your child’s development.