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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Play Kitchen?
Ariana 06:48 PM 01-10-2017
Do your kids play with play kitchens? I have an Ikea one with all sorts of plastic food but I have never had a kid that played with it consistantly. Just wondering if this is normal. I have been thinking about getting rid of it but it is a large expensive item and I don't want to have to buy it again.

Also any ideas on how to make it more enticing? I have a table and chairs and will sometimes set the table for them in the morning but it doesn't seem to help. About 2-3 minutes of play is all I get out of it. Also what age group plays with it the most? Maybe my age group is the issue.
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Annalee 07:02 PM 01-10-2017
Originally Posted by Ariana:
Do your kids play with play kitchens? I have an Ikea one with all sorts of plastic food but I have never had a kid that played with it consistantly. Just wondering if this is normal. I have been thinking about getting rid of it but it is a large expensive item and I don't want to have to buy it again.

Also any ideas on how to make it more enticing? I have a table and chairs and will sometimes set the table for them in the morning but it doesn't seem to help. About 2-3 minutes of play is all I get out of it. Also what age group plays with it the most? Maybe my age group is the issue.
I make my kitchen center into many different things monthly and sometimes I take the actual kitchen playset out altogether depending on the center....i.e. apple orchard, fruit stand, restaurant, store, farmers market, etc. I have different dishes, materials for each....you can get real-looking fruit at dollar mart....I get baskets and wooden dishes for apple orchard at goodwill.....add a cash register/paper/pencil/price stickers/etc. to however you want to prepare each play center. I think the key is keeping the materials fresh by changing out regularly.
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e.j. 08:21 PM 01-10-2017
I used to have a couple of different kitchens that the kids would never play with. My husband and I found this one sitting by the side of the road one morning with a "free" sign on it and we snapped it up: ghttp://www.toysrus.com/buy/kitchens/step2-50-s-diner-882100-3153188 by the

We've had it for at least a couple of years now and the kids love it! They've used it every single day since we got it. It was definitely well worth the embarrassment of getting out of the car and grabbing someone else's trash.

I'm not sure what made the difference to the kids other than maybe the attached seats? I have the same bins of play food, pots and pans, plates, etc that I had before but they do seem to like pretending to be waiters/waitresses and customers vs. just playing "house".
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AmyKidsCo 08:45 PM 01-10-2017
My kiddos rarely played "kitchen" with mine so I got rid of it. They like to "cook" on the small table or shelves. I've found that the more open-ended toys/equipment get used most often.
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Josiegirl 02:46 AM 01-11-2017
I don't do anything different to mine but the kids still are drawn to it quite often. I have a large wall with their familys' pictures(family tree) and an unbreakable mirror so maybe that keeps their interest? IDK They also love to feed and dress their babies and that's included, plus the dress-up stand. I have a small picnic table from HD I bought and placed in there. Right now my group that loves it is 2-4.5. But during the summer when the SA dcks are here, they make it their own, creating a whole restaurant and bringing much more life into it. Another thing that might be helping my kitchen area is the fact it's surrounded by windows(my whole darn playroom is)and they love watching the outdoors.
I have a blank side of a shelf facing the kitchen area and was thinking of covering pictures of food with contact paper and velcroing them on.
I'd say switch it around somehow, add something new(even just a few new tools or empty food containers), place some flowy gauzy material over the top.
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Michael 03:28 AM 01-11-2017
More threads on Play Kitchen: https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.php?tag=play+kitchen
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kendallina 04:33 AM 01-11-2017
I change mine out pretty frequently. Right now it's a hot chocolate stand with pinto beans and cotton balls the sensory table. I have ages 3 and up.

My actual kitchen gets used frequently, but only the 'cabinet' and oven/refrigerator parts. They don't really use the sink area or stovetop. They like the doors and often make things in there.
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Second Home 06:18 AM 01-11-2017
All my dck have loved to play kitchen . I have had kids as young as 15 months begin to really play and mimic cooking .
My sa kids still even play kitchen .
I have a set of bins with the food and dishes sorted near the kitchen and a table with chairs for them to sit at and serve others .
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Ariana 07:22 AM 01-11-2017
Thanks everyone!
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MarinaVanessa 09:30 AM 01-11-2017
Try putting a few realistic props in there like measuring cups, wooden spoons, a plastic vase and flowers, some paper so they can pretend it's a menu, a telephone, "silver" platter etc. Most of this you can find at a dollar store. I found that if I put "real" things by the kitchen area the kids are drawn more to it. Ours gets played with daily and I rotate out props and toys from there to keep it interesting.
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daycarediva 10:05 AM 01-11-2017
I rotate items in/out based on season. We have signs and I model play for those items the first few days to give the kids ideas. I have 2 who have never touched it, but the other kids love it.
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Unregistered 04:39 AM 01-12-2017
If I have all 2's and under, no they don't use it.

Once they are about 2 1/2 kitchen play really picks up. I always sort food in one bin dishes in the other.

I always have dress up clothes and a small table/chairs in the area. If I have older kids three and up, yes I create different dramatic play. Farmers market, bakery, grocery store, vet. Sometimes I turn the set around or take it out. Big hit when it comes back.

I have defined play areas and the kitchen area gets lots of use I think because of this. kitchen set can't just be set against the wall and that's it. A kitchen in a corner area is better and with extra with props. Menus ( I made mine and included magazine pictures) order pads, pens, aprons, cash register, old gift cards to use as debit cards, purses, etc. makes a big difference!
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CityGarden 08:56 PM 03-20-2017
My children LOVE the play kitchen - right now I have my dd's old PB Kids Retro Play Kitchen and the food is the Lakeshore Plastic Food which looks really realistic. I also have the Ikea metal pots & pans, silver looking flatware. I just took the glass ikea play plates and bowls away because 2 of my 2 year olds cannot handle glass items. Right now they are in love with it but it will switch to sometimes be a market, or be removed all together.

That said, at some point I might invest is a beautiful wooden Waldorf style play kitchen and make all the food but I don't want to invest in that until I see exactly how my program and families are and what they come to expect.
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MrsSteinel'sHouse 03:39 AM 03-21-2017
http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/...4878&Category=

I bought this one a couple weeks ago and love it! no doors to slam on fingers, knobs on both sides, perfect height, and it is not too big! I do regularly switch out food. I have cutting food, the learning company little spouts food, wooden food etc.

Do they play with it constantly? No, but regularly, yes.


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LysesKids 06:43 AM 03-21-2017
Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
My kiddos rarely played "kitchen" with mine so I got rid of it. They like to "cook" on the small table or shelves. I've found that the more open-ended toys/equipment get used most often.
See that's my older littles... they love having a drawer with their own real pots & pans (smaller version of my stainless cookware), wooden spoons etc. They can "cook" in the actual kitchen while I cook lol. My 15 month old can reach the small plates we eat off of (on a shelf that is low enough in the hutch) and so I let him use these to "serve"
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