Rehearse Good Kitchen Etiquette with Pretend Play Kitchens
Written on July 31, 2009 – 3:44 pm | by
One of the greatest tools a young child has for developing the many life skills they need is, rehearsal through play. They are not only rehearsing but they are practicing new skills through repetition. Sometimes they are successful and sometimes they are not, but as long as they continue the effort that is the important thing. With enough rehearsal and practice they will eventually put it all together.
The selection of toys for young children is important to help them develop effectively. Toys such as pretend play kitchens can really help them develop motor skills, language skills and thinking skills- while they have fun. This is also a great time for you, the parent, to help mold each of these skills as you interact in playtime together. Planning activities together in the kid’s kitchen play set is an effective way for you to observe and encourage learning experiences.
Start off by planning something simple, like no-bake cookies for instance. Your motive can be to make some for Daddy that he can enjoy when he comes home from work. This way your child has a goal and intention to help keep them focused and on task. A comment at an opportune time like; won’t Daddy really enjoy these cookies when he gets home, can really help bring a distracted child back on task. Remember their stamina and attention span will have to be developed also.
Deciding on a no-bake snack, such as chocolate cookies is a good way to give your child a sense of accomplishment when the task is completed. Give your child simple 3 step instructions and encourage them to verbally tell you what they are doing. Pretend play kitchens will give them motor skill practice and an opportunity to verbalize their thoughts. It will also provide you an opportunity to positively validate their efforts. Be patient as they may make a number of mistakes and be quite messy also. But this is to be expected.
Don’t forget that you want to encourage the same general skills you would expect when the time comes for your child to really help you in the kitchen. This means planning, preparing, serving, and clean up. One thing you don’t want your child to get in the habit of is that someone else will always clean up the mess when they are done. Part of good kitchen etiquette is cleaning up after one’s self as well. Start off with both realistic expectations and a sense of the big picture and this will make your time together in the pretend play kitchen both effective and fun!
Tags: Play Kitchens, Pretend Play Kitchens, Toy Kitchens, Wooden Kitchens