DIY Play Kitchen | Play Cook Top | Pretend Play for Toddlers

My little boy has a keen interest in vessels and the kitchen in general. He can amuse himself for a good half an hour with a pressure cooker and its lid. Trying his ways to fit the lid on and turn it around such that it locks up perfectly. Or o other days,  he would just go help himself to the idly stand and settle in a comfortable little place to sit and remove and then stack the idly trays back onto the stand! It is a delight to watch his tiny self engross himself into such activities with so much concentration! :) 

I let him do all the explorations he wishes to in the kitchen, of course making sure the drawers are not emptied out and filled vessels are not toppled over!! :D I believe that is in in everyday little activities like these that little ones learn the most.

To nurture this interest he has for the kitchen, I wanted to create a little kitchen exclusively for him, to indulge in some pretend play. I had just the perfect sized cardboard box for this purpose and so I set out to make a tiny little cooktop for my tiny little chefling! :) 

I am very happy with the final outcome and it is one of my Mini's favourite little hangouts just as I expected and hoped it would be! :)

Things Needed:

Cardboard Box

Wrapping Paper

Old CDs

Bottle Caps
Nails
Thermocol Bits

Markers

Scissors

Glue

• Wrap a cardboard box with wrapping paper. I used a laminated paper so that it lasts longer.
• Stick a black chart paper on the top of the box, this is going to be your cook-top side.
• For the stoves, stick 3 old CDs over the black chart paper.
• For the knobs, drill holes through the bottle caps and screw nails through the caps and through the cardboard box. Stick a piece of thermocol behind each from inside and glue them so that the bottle caps cannot be pulled out but can be turned around like an actual knob. (Well, over a few weeks, this gotten loose and I took out the knobs! I am planning on simply gluing them directly without the nails.)
• Finally, use a marker to draw panels and borders.

I had actual vessels that were perfectly sized to sit on this little cook-top I made, so didn't need toy vessels! I set a few vessels, ladles and some tiny cutlery beside the cook-top and let the mini dive into his little world of pretend play and have some fun!

Oh, I also added a tiny bit of decoration (which of course did not last too long!) I used the suction toys, Squigs (from Fat Brain Toys) as little hooks on the side of the cook-top and hung a hot plate mat and a tiny kitchen towel! :D

It's a cozy little corner in our dining area, the little space dedicated to our little boy. The scene keeps changing here every few weeks according to his interests. 

Currently, this cook-top sits on one side... and a tiny little washing machine sits on the other side.
More on how to make the Washing Machine in my next post :)