Play Kitchens...how old is too old?

[Bess]

My turning 8 year old expressed interest in a play kitchen. I'm wondering if this would be a good birthday present for her? I guess my concern is that it wouldn't get much use. Usually they seem quite small... more like for a 3-5 year old, not an 8 year old. Do you think an 8 year old would use a play kitchen and for how long??

 

Last question, is there a play kitchen you would suggest?

 

thanks!

[Sophia]

I wouldn't get a play kitchen for my 8 y.o., but I would get her in the kitchen doing more things with me like browning meat, cracking eggs, cutting vegetables, peeling potatoes, baking, etc.

Before you know it you'll be able to count on her help for quick dinner prep!

[Carrie12345]

One of my favorite things about being the oldest was having a built in excuse to play with "little kid" toys for a loooong time! ;)

 

I think it's great that your dd is still very much into imaginary play! I have a feeling she might get a lot more use out of a nice wooden set than the molded plastic ones that everyone seems to have now.

 

My girls will probably be around 8/9 when we eventually move, but I do hope to have a space that will fit a nice, simple, Grandpa-made wooden kitchen set like the ones in the fancy catalogs :D.. Just flat wood, painted white. Painted-on stove coils. Simple shelves. A matching table and chairs that will be useful through the years. Stuff that could easily be repainted and re-purposed down the line.

[Emilylou]

If she is your only or your youngest, I wouldn't get her a play kitchen. Like the other pp said- just get her more involved in the "real' kitchen...

HTH

[elegantlion]

I agree with just getting her into the real kitchen. check online for kids sized kitchen untensils and maybe give her a cabinet or drawer of her own.

 

My ds had a kitchen when he was little, yes I said ds, he loved it. By 8 he wanted to work in the real thing. We bought him some child sized items from pampered chef and after watching Alton Brown for months he creates his own experiments in the kitchen. :D

 

It's all part of my evil plan to have him overtake all the cooking duties by the age of 13. :D:D :lol::lol:

[SonshineLearner]

I'd purchase a set of some things for her to use in the kitchen with me. Real things...but ones that kids can use:-) And maybe some collections of items she'll need for cookies...muffins...whatever she likes:-)

 

Carrie:-)

[Momto5]

An alternative to a full size play kitchen would to be one of the "countertop kitchens." These sit on top of a table or countertop. They are nice because they are portable, do not take up much space and, because they can be placed on any height surface, may accomodate an older child. They also are not as expensive as a full kitchen. You could then purchase some accessories. Target had some nice stainless steel pots and utensils.

 

I agree that it would be fun to get her into the kitchen with you but she may also just want to pretend on her own.

[Bess]

I have a 6 year old dd that could play with it too. But even that age, I'm wondering if that is too old to be worth buying.

 

She does do quite a bit in the kitchen, but she specifically mentioned a play kitchen... probably because she likes to play with them at other people's houses.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Melora in NC]

I think most play kitchens would be too small for an 8 year old. My almost-7 year old has one that she never plays with anymore (she loved it at 3-5), but today she made muffins by herself (except putting them in and taking them out of the oven). Eight is a great age to start cooking real things, and my kids are always so proud to have foods They prepared on the table. As others have suggested, kitchen tools of her own might be a good present. Maybe an apron with her name on it? King Arthur Flour and Williams-Sonoma both have kitchen tools for kids, and my kids really like the Williams-Sonoma Kids Baking Book.

[sparrow]

My 7 yo daughter has had a portable kitchen playset for years. She still plays with it frequently. It's similar to this:

 

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Wooden-Portable-Play-Kitchen-and-Pan-Set/3319433/product.html

 

She also cooks nearly every meal with me :)

[fivetails]

My *twelve* year old dd wants a play kitchen. :tongue_smilie:

 

She wants it for her stuffed animals - webkinz and such - because she likes playing house with them...(and yes she does all sorts of real cooking/baking)...she just thinks they're cute and still enjoys imaginative play sometimes - her brother got a set of play food for Christmas and, as he ended up not really liking it, she claimed it. :)

 

We won't spend the money for a brand new one from the store, as it's quite likely that the novelty would wear off soon enough, but if I see one at a yard sale cheap, I'll snag it and she can use it until she gets bored of it. ;)

[Unicorn.]

One of my favorite things about being the oldest was having a built in excuse to play with "little kid" toys for a loooong time! ;)

 

I think it's great that your dd is still very much into imaginary play! I have a feeling she might get a lot more use out of a nice wooden set than the molded plastic ones that everyone seems to have now.

 

My girls will probably be around 8/9 when we eventually move, but I do hope to have a space that will fit a nice, simple, Grandpa-made wooden kitchen set like the ones in the fancy catalogs :D.. Just flat wood, painted white. Painted-on stove coils. Simple shelves. A matching table and chairs that will be useful through the years. Stuff that could easily be repainted and re-purposed down the line.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Why not make her one that is her size. You could always repaint it and turn it into something else later-toy storage, housing for extra clothes, desk and book storage, etc. hth

[KristenS]

I remember seeing some cute ones in maybe Family Fun one time ... a simple little two-shelf cupboard (nightstand size maybe?) with spare CDs glued to the top to be the burners, and other little things added here and there. Could easily be made the right size for an 8yo and could be a lot of fun to play with.

[RoughCollie]

 

It's all part of my evil plan to have him overtake all the cooking duties by the age of 13. :D:D :lol::lol:

 

That plan will work. Just make sure he's been thoroughly trained to clean the kitchen, too. I didn't, and now I have to supervise the clean-up, and I'd rather just walk away, knowing it will get done properly.

[AnnetteB]

Our dd, 8 1/2 still loves to stir up "meals" with her kitchen :) Last summer she and little brother made mudpies outdoors for hours. I think that the play is winding down, though. Now, she enjoys setting out the 18" dolls and reading to them more than feeding the baby dolls.

[abbeyej]

Since you say you have a younger one as well, I think you'd still get some use out of it. Yes, it makes most sense to teach the 8yo to cook in a real kitchen, but playing is good too, and in different ways. I would avoid getting anything plastic-y that looks very "young", and a counter-top kitchen might be the best option. My kids are 6 (7 in a couple of weeks) and 9.5 (a boy), and they play in their pretend kitchen very regularly (though they also help me in the kitchen). Theirs is just a shelf with CDs mounted as pretend "burners", a bowl for a sink, and an over-the-door hook turned upside down to be the faucet. They have some little baskets and hooks mounted on the wall beside the shelf for holding wooden fruits and veggies, hanging spoons and spatulas and dishcloths, etc. They also have more wooden food, bowls, pots and pans, etc. If they had room for a real "play kitchen", I know it would have been worthwhile. It's still played with quite regularly (sometimes as a house kitchen, sometimes as part of playing "restaurant", sometimes in preparing food for the stuffed creatures)...

 

My oldest loves to cook for real, and tells me that he's going to open a restaurant some day. He writes menus for his restaurant, and loves to play it all out in the play kitchen as well as cooking in the real one.

 

So I say "go for it!" :)

[In the Rain]

Do you think she'd like to make one with cardboard boxes? We found some large boxes at Costco that my girls painted and used for a variety of things. She could paint on burners and cut out a door to open like an oven. I think my 7yo would enjoy this project. She loves to play with toy kitchens at friend's houses, but I wouldn't want to buy her one.