When playing in a kitchen such as the John Crane Tidlo Kitchen Station children can talk about what they are doing; they may talk to themselves or to the adult/child who is with them. It is a great way to learn new vocabulary and/or practise vocabulary they already know that is associated with cooking: hot; cold; cook; chop; oven; etcetera. Role play toys offer so many exciting possibilities for learning and development.
Kitchen role play is also the perfect chance to introduce healthy eating and possibly help fussy eaters by presenting children with new/unknown foods or reintroducing rejected foods in a fun environment. Play food such as the Bigjigs Healthy Eating Fish or Dairy sets include a wide range of foods for playing with and teaching from.
You can also begin to think about weighing and measuring by using all of the vocabulary associated with this: for younger children “Which is fruit is heavier?â€, “Which is vegetable is lighter?†and for older children using the Big Jigs Food Scales you can weigh a piece of toy food read the scale to establish how much it weighs (in a non-standard unit). This then opens up the opportunity to predict and then compare and contrast the weights of different play foods. All of this can be done is a way that doesn’t appear to be anything other than play to your little one, whilst you are mixing up their favourite dish in their kitchen!
Role play toys help to build imaginative play - a child doesn’t need every tool they see in the kitchen to help them bake their favourite cake or meal. All they need is the ability to imagine they have that piece of equipment or food. Help them to do this by pretending you are cooking something or tasting something and then encourage them to do the same you can then introduce words such as tasty, delicious and spicy.
Bigjigs Village Shop - new version
Toy shops such as the Big Jigs Village Shop and the Janod Portable Bakery, whilst allowing for lots of language and communication development, also provide the opportunity to develop your little ones’ maths skills. Counting out pieces of food or asking for a specific amount of something is a simple way for maths to be involved in play. The Le Toy Van Cash Register has coins which can be used to assist in the first steps towards understanding and using money. Children can start by simply taking a coin from their playmate to pay for an item, but this can develop into asking for a certain amount of money and eventually adding up the cost of multiple items and then requiring change.
Playing in either the shop or the kitchen can also help with physical development. For example handling the foods and the coins encourages fine motor skills through gripping and holding. For younger children standing against the kitchen can help them to make the progression from standing whilst holding onto something to standing independently without support.
Of course all of this goes hand in hand with your child developing social skills when playing in these role play scenarios with others: sharing, taking turns to be the shop keeper, chef or customer. Speaking and listening. The learning and development, like the play, never stops.
