Food toys and their benefits to your little one
Introduction
At around 2, toddlers become more interested in playing pretend, letting their imaginations come to life. Food toys make for wonderful play toys, giving these soon-to-be-grown people a chance to express themselves differently.
Through pretend play, toddlers attempt to recreate that which they witness and experience in real life, helping them make sense of and feel a part of what goes on around them.
Don't miss out on those chances to see your girl grow up "suddenly," rocking her little teddy bear baby to sleep and then preparing a snack for mommy in her little kitchen as she sings and mumbles to herself.
Benefits of food toys to your child's development
Food toys are extra beneficial to children as they promote imaginative play. There is a chance to prepare, cook and even serve meals for themselves or their friends. Below are some benefits your child will get from playing with food toys.
o Helps develop fine motor skills – Food toys help develop fine motor skills since toys that include moving parts require manipulation with fingers and hands, such as play dough. Play food sets will mostly have magnetic centers to make handling and cutting easier.
o Promotes hand-eye coordination – Using both hands when trying to cut requires concentration and proper coordination of the hands and eyes. Squeezing, mixing, spreading, and cutting during cooking will develop your young one's hand-eye coordination skills.
o Allows for language development – As children play, they will have to communicate with each other. This allows them to use new vocabulary, hence improving their language as they name their activities or the foods and utensils they are using.
o Promotes Color sorting – Pretend play will always involve learning colors. There will be many utensil toys that will be in different colors; the toddler will inevitably learn where which item goes.
o They will learn how to group foods – There will be foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc. Each food shall be placed in its respective category. At an older age, they will start learning how to group proteins, starches, etc.
o Promotes their imagination – Pretend play encourages kids to put their imaginative hats on. They will want to act out in their games what they usually see in real life, and this will mostly be with some 'spice' and fun added to it.
o Will promote problem-solving skills – The first step to problem-solving is to let your child develop independent thinking. Playing with food toys allows exactly this as there will be a lot of decisions to be made during play, and the best part is that they will have to figure out a solution for themselves, and nothing will go wrong since all toys are safe.
Some of the best food toys to get for your little one.
- Chad Valley My 1st Kitchen – Ideal for role-playing fun, this kitchen playset contains everything your child will need to play chef. With fun sounds that are realistic and mimic real life, your little one will explore their imaginative side and get to create new experiences. With cutlery, a frying pan, a sink, and so much more, there will be endless opportunities to enjoy this food toy.
- 21 Wooden Pieces and 4 Crates, Multi-Play Food Sets for Kids Kitchen – This wooden food set features items from five different food groups: corn, watermelon, milk, cheese, eggs, fish, and more. This food toy set will help your child to plan a balanced meal, as it introduces them to the basics of nutrition. Early number skills can also be taught, sorting, color recognition, and grouping. The four crates help in keeping the food play tidy.
- Carlobro Wooden Play Food Set – Some of these vegetables and fruits can be cut into two or even three pieces with the knife provided in the set. Toddlers love to copy what their parents do in real life, hence having in the set a pretend peeler is an excellent idea. The magnetic pieces make it easy for the kids to cut things up and put them back quickly.
- Toy Life Wooden Kitchen Set – One of the best pretend toddler kitchens, this set of accessories with wooden toddler play food puzzles consists of pans, a toy stove, a spatula, a slotted spatula, and a toy sink. In addition, it has food – egg, eggplant, fish, tomato, carrot, broccoli, and puzzles for toddlers. This makes the set versatile and can therefore be used in many ways.
- Wooden Fruit & Vegetable Basket – A vegetable basket will be loved by any toddler, as they will get the chance to pick up the shopping basket and walk around the house 'shopping.' There is room for creativity with this basket, as there will soon be a host of other accessories that the basket will carry.
- Hape Homemade Wooden Pizza Play Set – Pizza being a hit in most households, a pizza playset will be a most welcome gift to your little one. Your toddler will love playing, making mummy some pizza, and cutting it into slices, ready to eat. This set will allow your child's creativity to grow as they decide which ingredients to use in making the pizza.
Conclusion
Many parents will involve their preschoolers and toddlers in kitchen activities. However, there will always be a risk of cuts or burns when you let your child in an adult kitchen.
Let your child explore their imaginative side and get to know what it feels like to be in your shoes, only this time with safe utensils.
References
Argos Limited, (2023). Chad Valley My 1st Kitchen. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9163168?clickPR=plp:1:45
Amazon.com, Inc. (1996-2023). Melissa & Doug Food Groups - 21 Wooden Pieces and 4 Crates, Multi-Play Food Sets For Kid's Kitchen, Pretend Food, Toy Food For Toddlers And Kids Ages 3+
https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Food-Groups-Hand-Painted/dp/B0000BX8MA
Amazon.com, Inc. (1996-2023). CARLORBO Wooden Play Food for Kids Kitchen - Toys Food Vegetables and Fruit for 2-Year-Old Boys Girls Role Pretend Play Early Education Montessori Education
https://www.amazon.com/CARLORBO-Play-Food-Pretend-Kitchen/dp/B07KDWBM58
Amazon.com, Inc. (1996-2023). TOY Life Wooden Puzzles for Toddlers 1-3, Toddler Puzzles Ages 2-4 Kids Play Kitchen Sets Wooden Play Kitchen Accessories Wooden Baby Play Food Puzzles, Montessori Puzzles Toy for Kids 3 4 5 6 7
https://www.amazon.com/TOY-Life-Wooden-Kitchen-Sets/dp/B08GS62SMP
Amazon.com, Inc. (1996-2023). Victostar Magnetic Wooden Cutting Fruits Vegetables Food Play Toy Set with Basket for Kids (Vegetables)
https://www.amazon.com/Victostar-Magnetic-Wooden-Cutting-Vegetables/dp/B0784VRV9X
Amazon.com, Inc. (1996-2023). Hape Homemade Wooden Pizza Play Kitchen Food Set and Accessories Multicolor, three years and up
https://www.amazon.com/Hape-Homemade-Wooden-Kitchen-Accessories/dp/B00AX8SX7Q
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