10 Best Play Kitchen Sets for Toddlers and Kids in 2023
Like regular physical activities, pretend play also offers a lot of benefits for kids. Apart from the fun, pretend play can help develop their life skills, problem-solving skills, communication skills and significantly improve their imagination and creativity. Also, playing together with other kids helps kids develop social skills and emotional resilience. Research even suggests that pretend play can be very useful to spark children’s interest in learning at an early age, especially language and narrative skills.
From kids pretend play makeup, play money, play healthy food to play kitchen sets, there are lots of popular pretend play options for toddlers and young kids. In this post, we have put together a curated list of play kitchen sets that children will love. Mostly from well-known brands like KidKraft and Step2, these play kitchen sets are the best out there.
Though most of the play kitchens come with accessories, a few don’t. In that case, you can easily choose one from our recommended play kitchen accessories.
Best Play Kitchen Sets for Toddlers and Kids
Our Top 3 Picks
Best Play Kitchen Set for Toddlers: KidKraft Vintage Wooden Play Kitchen With Accessories
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Regardless of age, whether it’s a toddler girl aged 2-year-old or 4-year-old, they all enjoy playing with kitchen appliances. If you have a baby girl who loves to play cook, buy her a play kitchen set. KidKraft has a cool-looking, wooden play kitchen that your little girl will absolutely adore.
This super cute play kitchen comes at a kid-friendly size, ideal for toddlers around 2 to 5 years old. Toddlers will find its retro-style look very attractive. Also, the compact design of this play kitchen allows fitting it in a small space. Made with compressed wood fibers, no doubt that your kids will be able to play with it at least for a few more years to come.Â
The set comes with assembly instructions and pieces for setting it up. However, it will take some time to assemble. Even if you follow the assembly instructions properly, it would probably take around 2 1/2 hours to put together. Your daughter will be excited to play with it once assembled. Cord-free phone, working knobs, ice maker – all these realistic, interactive features of this play kitchen will keep your daughter entertained for hours.
Pros
- Well made to last
- Very affordable option
- Kid-friendly design and colors
- Includes a few cute accessories
- Perfect for toddlers and fits in a small space
- Provides ample opportunity to play with all the realistic kitchen appliancesÂ
Cons
- The assembly instructions are poorly written.
Best Play Kitchen Set for Kids: KidKraft Ultimate Corner Wooden Play Kitchen with Lights & Sounds
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This one is yet another amazing play kitchen set from KidKraft for kids. KidKraft has added realistic lights and sound features in this wooden play kitchen to offer kids the ultimate indoor pretend play experience. This play kitchen set comes with a neutral color scheme, so don’t worry whether you are buying it for a boy or a girl. Aside from the gender-neutral color, this modern play kitchen set is thoughtfully designed, keeping in mind modern-day kid’s needs and wishes.
Like the Vintage Wooden Play Kitchen, KidKraft also has a realistic-looking design and many interactive features. Among the tons of cute little details, kids will love the realistic lights and sounds produced by the ice cube maker and burners. The turnable knobs on the oven and the faucet, plus all the doors and buttons, will keep your youngsters busy for hours.
You might also feel that the two peekaboo windows are a great addition to this play kitchen, along with the shelving and hanging pegs. In addition, the play kitchen features an extra counter space and a built-in washing machine. All of the units are made of solid, premium-quality wood to ensure durability. If you have more than one child, you don’t have to order an additional set. The set is strong and large enough that multiple kids can play together.
The installation is time-consuming but once done; the set will look super fancy. The L-shaped design of this play kitchen set allows setting it in a corner, saving some space in your living room. So, you can fit it in any regular-sized living room as well as in backyards without any hassle at all.
Pros
- Hours of fun for active kids
- Durable and safe construction
- Space-saving, innovative corner design
- Great play kitchen with sounds and lights
- Easy to follow assembly instruction manual
- Plenty of storage capacity and interactive features
Cons
- Takes quite some time for assembly
- Doesn’t include kitchen accessoriesÂ
Best Play Kitchen Set for Older Kids: Step2 Fun with Friends Kitchen With Accessories
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Many parents want to buy a play kitchen for their kids but hate to go through a time-consuming assembly process. If you are in a similar situation, we recommend Step2 Fun with Friends Kitchen. This is a fantastic plastic play kitchen set to boost up your kid’s creativity and social skills.
As the name suggests, the kitchen playset is large enough for your youngster to invite all her friends over and make some delicious treats together in the kitchen.
Like the KidKraft Ultimate Corner Wooden Play Kitchen, the realistic lights and sounds of this play kitchen will make your youngster feel like a little chief. Young girls will love to pretend to do all the things like making a cup of coffee, boiling fresh vegetables, serving and washing the dishes.
Not just the set includes pretend play kitchen appliances like the stovetop and oven; it also comes with many kids play food and kitchen accessories. All these cookware pieces are very well-made and look insanely cute. Your child will love to create different types of recipes utilizing different play accessories and equipment. When done playing, they can easily keep all these play accessories in place using the hanging pegs, molded-in shelves, and storage containers.
Pros
- Kid-friendly graphics
- Not so difficult to put together
- Include loads of kitchen accessories and utensils
- Large and durable enough for two kids to play together
Cons
- The storage selves and utensil hook seem a little high for younger kids.
Best Play Kitchen Accessories
Play kitchen accessories are an essential part of play cooking toys. These play accessories are what your child will use mostly while playing in the kitchen. Most play kitchen set comes with a few pots and pans. These aren’t going to be enough for your child. Your child will need more of them. Check out a few play kitchen accessories below that are super cute and the best budget-friendly options.
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If you are planning to buy a plastic play kitchen set but thinking of going with wooden play kitchen accessories, go for the Melissa & Doug Hand-Painted Wooden Play Food Set. These super cute wooden pieces would be a great addition to any play kitchen.
Play Kitchen Sets for Toddlers and Kids
Highly Rated by Parents and Experts
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KidKraft Wooden Farm to Table Play KitcheN with Lights & Sounds
There are many KidKraft play kitchen sets on the market. However, this one is one of the best-rated play kitchen sets for kids from KidKraft. Yes, there are reasons why parents rate it so highly.Â
First and foremost, parents love how it comes packaged and simple instruction manual. Though most play kitchens come with assembly instructions, the assembly ends up becoming nerve-fraying for most parents. That doesn’t happen with this play kitchen.Â
Secondly, it has a cute, trendy, and gender-neutral design. The set is made using premium quality and scratch-resistant wood for longer durability. Its height is good enough for kids from 2-years old to 10-years old. It is best suitable for indoor play. If your children want, they can play with it in the backyard as well. In addition, the design is also tested safe for kids. So you don’t have to worry about their safety while your kids have the fun of their lifetime.
The lights and sound effects are the absolutely fun part of this play kitchen. From pots, pans to a knife, ice cubes, cutting boards, this playset comes with all the cool accessories your child needs to play with. Even there is a working ice maker with ice cubes to double the fun. All these features make the whole set seem so realistic.
Pros
- Hours of unlimited fun
- Easy to follow instruction
- Designed keeping safety in mind
- A great combination of durability and design
Cons
- Not great for toddlers under 2-yeras of age
Step2 Best Chefs Kids Play Kitchen with Toy Accessories
This Step2 Play Kitchen comes with lots of cute play kitchen accessories to keep an energetic toddler busy. Not too small or too big, this play kitchen is perfect for 2 to 5-year-olds.Â
The neat and sleek design of this play kitchen allows fitting it perfectly in the corner of your living room or hallway. The combination of kid-friendly materials and double-wall construction ensures the highest durability of this play kitchen set.Â
Whether kids want to cook, serve, or make coffee, they can do that using the 25-piece play accessories. So it’s an activity toy that will offer hours of fun. The open design also encourages social play and sharing with siblings and friends.Â
The stovetop burner lights and sounds, along with the special frying pan and boiling pot, make the play kitchen set more realistic. In addition, the installation manual allows putting all the kitchen parts together quickly. No doubt that your child will love to play chef every day.Â
 Pros
- Open and neat designÂ
- A very affordable option
- Comes with 25-piece accessoriesÂ
- Perfect for both toddler boys and girls
Cons
- You need some extra tools for assembly
Melissa & Doug Wooden Chef’s Pretend Play Toy Kitchen
Melissa & Doug is popular among parents for their educational toys. If your toddlers already have a few Melissa & Doug toys, this play kitchen toy from Melissa & Doug will be a great addition to their list of favorite play toys.
Kids are fond of bright colors. The bright and colorful design of the kitchen will grab your child’s attention immediately. The single kitchen playset comes with all the kitchen appliances such as oven, stove, microwave, sink, refrigerator, and more. For play kitchen accessories, you can buy the food group playset with the kitchen playset. The playset offers a fun way to introduce the basics of nutrition to your children. Also, they can learn number skills, color recognition, sorting, and grouping from it.
Melissa & Doug has always tried to make a kid’s childhood heavenly. That’s why NBC called them the “Gold standard in early childhood play.” This will surely be a fantastic gift for a busy toddler aged 3 to 6 years.
Pros
- Very easy to put together
- Adorable and realistic design
- Includes easy to follow detailed instructions
- Durable enough for multiple kids to play together
Cons
- Some users reported that it has some safety risks for younger kids.
Step2 All Around Playtime Patio
Step2 All Around Playtime Patio is an amazing playset that can help develop your child’s imagination! Its features are inspiring enough for older kids to explore as well as younger kids to enjoy.
From play kitchen to backyard clubhouse, it is designed to offer the ultimate backyard fun for toddlers. The set is large and sturdy enough for multiple kids to play cook together, which will help them develop communication and social skills. Plus, this outdoor play kitchen comes with several play-kitchen plus splish-splash accessories. There is also a sand and water activity table section to allow watery fun for toddlers who love water play but are not old enough to own a kiddie pool. Kids can enjoy the splash-splash game by pouring water on the table. You will appreciate the separate drain sections for the water and sand table.
This all-in-all play station is built with premium quality materials. You will be glad to know that it is super easy to put together. It’s easy to disassemble as well.
Pros
- Very easy to assemble
- Promotes social and imagination skills
- Includes several pretend play accessories
- Adorable and versatile baby play kitchen
Cons
- Instructions manual seems a little vague
Recommended Play Kitchen Sets for Toddlers and Kids
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KidKraft Large Wooden Play Kitchen
If you have a limited budget for a play kitchen, check out this play kitchen from KidKraft. Considering the price point, you won’t find a better play kitchen of this size.
KidKraft has used high-quality wooden construction to make this play kitchen. So not just durable, the wooden play kitchen looks realistic with all the light and sounds. It’s big and tall enough that even a 12-years old will find it perfect for pretend play cooking. Though it has lots of storage space, it doesn’t come with any play kitchen accessories.
Like most KidKraft play kitchens, it takes some time to put together. Though it stands firm against a wall, you can also use the wall anchor for added safety. With this large play kitchen, no doubt that your children will have fun cooking and playing together for years.Â
Pros
- Sturdy yet affordable
- Very easy to clean the sink
- Perfect for older and tall kids
- Adorable and innovative design
- Lots of storage space for party fun
Cons
- No light-up burners
KidKraft Wooden Large Pastel Play Kitchen
This KidKraft Wooden Large Pastel Play Kitchen is one of the most popular play kitchen sets among toddler girls. It stands out in terms of versatility and design.
At first glance, it seems this one is one of the cutest play kitchen sets out there. We aren’t alone. Most users also think so. The bright, pastel-colored play kitchen will perfectly blend with the surroundings wherever you put it. Once you bring it home, this would be your child’s favorite place for playing, partying, more. However, make sure you have tightened every screw before allowing your children to use it.Â
Made with solid hard plastic, the play kitchen looks super sturdy and safe for kids. You don’t need to worry about exposing your baby to toxic chemicals because KidKraft has used baby-safe, non-toxic paints and lacquers to make the play kitchen colorful.
Little babies usually have lots of toys, and it seems they are scattered everywhere. This can often drive you nuts. This play kitchen can be a fun way to teach your children responsibility since it has lots of storage space to keep things tidy.
Also, the set comes with a few handy pegs and utensils. It is quite large, so multiple kids can cook or play together. Playing together will help boost your child’s creativity and interactive skills while helping them in creating some awesome childhood memories. As a gift, nothing can be more thoughtful than this.
Pros
- A thoughtful gift ideas
- Durable and cute design
- Lots of realistic kitchen appliancesÂ
- Super easy to keep the playset clean and tidy
Cons
- Designed especially for girls
KidKraft Uptown Espresso Wooden Play Kitchen
KidKraft has some popular uptown-themed play kitchens with different finishes. Among them, we have picked the KidKraft Uptown Espresso Wooden Play Kitchen. We liked the KidKraft Uptown Natural Wooden Play Kitchen as well.
The modern and sleek design of this play kitchen will complement any living or baby room regardless of size and style. From refrigerator, freezer, oven, cabinet to microwave, you will be impressed with all these realistic-looking kitchen appliances. There is also a chalkboard for writing daily notes. Apart from the fun, the daily writing experiences will also benefit your kid.
Durability is something you need to pay attention to when getting a play kitchen for your child. However, you can trust KidKraft when it comes to durability. Made of solid wood, this KidKraft play kitchen is fairly sturdy. No doubt that it will grow with your child over the next few years.Â
For assembly, there is an instruction manual with detailed directions that is easy to follow. Finally, it is a great creative play toy to encourage your toddler to explore and expand their imaginations.Â
Pros
- Multiple children play options
- Clear and concise assembly instructions
- The sink is easily removable for cleanup
- Perfect for keeping an active toddler busy
Cons
- No fancy lights or sound features
Recommended Play Kitchen Accessories
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