A question that we've been asked a lot recently - mainly due to little ones starting to write their letters to Father Christmas - is which play kitchen to buy this December? While we can list many reasons why you should choose a GLTC play kitchen (we add more fun details and activities than anyone else and our kitchens are crafted from responsibly sourced wood and are built to last) choosing the right size and design to suit your home can be a little trickier. But we're here to help with our handy guide.
COLOURFUL
The colourful St Ives Play Kitchen is a culinary masterpiece and perfect for parents and children who can't resist bright and cheery toys. This fabulous play kitchen combines lots details with a neatly compact size. And our design team have added lots of symbols and words to the dials which means that, as well as playing, children are learning to recognise shapes and words at the same time.
As with all our kitchens, the St Ives Play Kitchen is made from sturdy wood and has lots of fun features to make children smile: hob rings that turn to reveal a heat 'glow', an oven with clicking knobs, and a washing machine with a true-to-life soap powder drawer. There's also a sink with hot and cold taps, a peg rail, and a handy storage drawer.
We'd recommend teaming up your toy kitchen with our Toy Microwave and some Toy Pots & Pans. They'd make great gifts from aunts, uncles or grandparents.
SPACE-SAVING
Taking a much coveted spot in IndyBest's top toy kitchens for 2019 is the small but perfectly formed Pat-a-Cake Play Kitchen. This pretty, wooden play kitchen offers lots of role play potential without taking up too much space. As a result, it's easy to store in corners of family rooms so your little one can play while you're busy cooking or working and it's lightweight enough to be carried around the house, or even outdoors, when you need to move on to something else but want to keep your child entertained close by.
Again, it's made from sturdy, painted wood and includes a hob with clicking dials, super cute wooden salt and pepper pots, a shiny removable sink with turning hot and cold taps, and three wooden utensils. Consider adding some Toy Pots & Pans and our Play Food sets for extra fun.
SCANDI VIBES
For Scandi-lovers who can't get enough of a chic dove grey and white colour palette and who have a fondness for metro tiles, look no further than our Marshmallow Wooden Toy Kitchen. It's even been featured in BBC Good Food's Best Toy Kitchens.
This stylish play kitchen offers children the opportunity to learn while playing. There's lots of symbols and words for them to try and recognise and sound out, and lots of drawers and dials for them to investigate.
Again, this toy kitchen is made from sturdy wood, and has lots of fun activities to keep children entertained: there's a clock with turning hands, a removable sink with hot and cold taps, and the oven, microwave and washing machine all have knobs which make a clicking sound. There's also a tea towel rail, hooks and an storage cupboard. It's almost like a real kitchen.
GREAT FOR SIBLING PLAY
If you need a play kitchen that's just that little bit bigger in order for brothers and sisters to play together without having to nudge each other out of the way, let's take a closer look at the Strawberry Play Kitchen. It really is a fantastic play kitchen with SO much to do. Our design team have added lots of lovely details to help children learn words and shapes - spot 'hot' and 'cold' on the taps and check out the symbols on the washing machine.
It has an oven and hob with clicking dials and an illustrated glowing flame, a dishwasher, a fridge/freezer, a microwave, a removable sink, turning taps, cup hooks, and a blackboard. All that, and it's beautifully made from sturdy wood. It's also available in Peppermint if red's not for you.
We'd recommend building this kitchen prior to Christmas Eve as it's a really good size and could take three to four hours. You might want to team it up with Play Food and a Wooden Tea Set for extra role play fun, especially if it's for siblings.
VINTAGE-INSPIRED
Our Pantry Play Kitchen, with it's vintage-inspired design and gorgeous, willow green painted finish, is a real favourite with the GLTC Team. The doors open right out to give children easy access to the cupboards and the handy internal shelving.
It's made from sturdy painted wood and features a realistic range-style hob, stylish metro tiles, illustrated clicking dials, a removable sink with hot and cold taps, and a blackboard on the side for showcasing the chef's specials. Add our Toy Grocery Set to sit perfectly on the shelves.
We hope this handy guide helps you to make a decision but if you have any questions, pop them in the comments below, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.