It wasn’t until I had a kid that I truly understood the appeal of the play kitchen: My toddler, predictably, loves nothing more than mimicking what her caregivers do on a daily basis, and that translates directly to things like cooking, meal prep, and serving food to others (or in her case, to her stuffed animals; it’s cute). So this holiday, I’m more than happy to stock her room with fake foods and toys that encourage cooking — these types of open-ended toys, I’m told, help build up kids’ imaginations while also teaching them how to interact with the world.
And as kids get older, all that play cooking can turn into a real interest. Since kids’ abilities obviously depend on age, we’re splitting up this gift guide into two sections. The first, focused mostly on play kitchen accessories, is for the toddlers and littles for whom food should stay fake. The second is for slightly older kids who are eager to join their adults in an actual home kitchen: the child-friendly knives and other tools that will help nurture their interest in food prep.
