Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination

While there are many advantages of children playing with a play kitchen it is important to realize that not all of the children that play with these sets are girls. For decades children have been enthralled with playing house while acting like mommy and sometimes daddy while in the kitchen. Most parents see the play activities as a fine way to preoccupy the child yet what are some of the child developmental advantages behind this play activity? To adequately answer that question we need to think about what exactly are the children learning from playing with these units.

Most of us who are above the age of 25 and were raised in a home that supplied at least one instance of a play kitchen realize how much fun these items really are. While it is mostly girls that make up the highest-percentages of homes that have played kitchens, there are, at times, little boys that enjoy playing with the kitchen devices as well. No matter what our biased preconceptions are towards play kitchens one fact is for certain: there is no longer a gender line between an Easy Bake Oven and little Johnny or Little Sally. In the very least the gender-line are now blurred with both girls and boys playing with these great toys. This only makes for a better-equipped, well-rounded child developmental issue for both genders. Obviously the advantages of children playing with these kitchens stems from the fact that they are learning their way around the kitchen.

By being familiar with the kitchen items that are replicated in a play kitchen the child is better equipped to handle themselves when the real time comes along. Play kitchens have been around for so many years and there have been very little instances of manufacturer neglect and/or children learning negative behaviors while playing with these very popular toys. There are developmental issues that arise well after children are into their teens yet none of these can be traced back to their associations with play kitchens. Although this remains to be seen what the future holds in child developmental issues and playing with replicas of household items, the bottom line is currently there are no negative revocations associated with children playing with plastic ovens and plastic salt shakers.

Play kitchens come in all shapes and sizes and varieties with some of the most popular being made out of safe non-toxic plastic. With years of research and observations of children playing with these kitchens there has been no signs of detrimental child behavioral skills being learned while in their vicinity. At the very least the children learn great cooking acumen as long as the parents remind the children that real-stoves are hot and boiling water can inflict painful burns. It is highly important that parents observe their children while playing and notice how they act and react when using the stove and or microwave replicas. So much can be learned from watching children playing and especially while playing in a play kitchen.

Mindy Binder is an expert author for TopKidsFurniture.com. Visit for information on KidKraft Pink Retro Kitchen's [http://www.topkidsfurniture.com/products/Pink_Retro_Kitchen-2003-27.html], Kidkraft Deluxe Let's Cook Kitchen's [http://www.topkidsfurniture.com/products/Deluxe_Let_s_Cook_Kitchen-2005-27.html], and other play kitchens.

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