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I’m a big fan of imaginary play. I believe it inspires children and helps to foster their creativity and inventive juices. It’s important to keep the mind challenged and thinking as we all know that sometimes we are at fault of letting the TV babysit our children which virtually does nothing to stimulate the brain. One of my favorite toys that help to increase a child’s artistic and innovative side is a play kitchen. But at what age does a child really explore the idea of cooking and is there an age which your child may be too young or too old to really appreciate play kitchens.

Of course there is never a straight and fast rule to anything when it comes to the development of children but I wanted to address this question because I see it posted over and over again on different forums. Most of the time people are asking if their child is too young to play with a toy kitchen but on occasion people ask if their child may be too old to appreciate the gift of a pretend play kitchen.

So what is the most ideal ages for this great inspirational, imaginative toy and why?
Let’s take a look at this question in great detail. It seems that the ideal age for the use of a toy kitchen is between two and half years old and 5 and half years old. Purchasing a play kitchen for your child who is under the age of two is certainly okay but don’t expect there to be much interest until they are closer to two and a half. The reason being is their brain has not developed enough cognitively to truly grasp the idea of imaginary play. While they may be intrigued by the bells and whistles, literally, they won’t engage in the imaginative forces of play kitchens until they are a little older. But what about kids over the age of five; will they be interested in a play kitchen? As they near six years of age most kids will not find a toy kitchen as alluring as they once did. At this age, they are actually ready to participate with real food and the fun of cooking. They want to experiment using true ingredients while coming up with their own concoctions. With that being said, the ideal ages for helping to foster that creativity with the help of a play kitchen is really between the ages of two and five; a narrow window maybe but a great tool none the less.

As I said before all children are different and some may really enjoy a toy kitchen outside of the ages I spoke about but for the most part I think you as a parent will be happier with your purchase of a play kitchen if you stay with in these guidelines.

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