Our imaginary play area of our playroom has been a work in progress for quite some time, but I am thrilled to finally show it off! It acts as a general store, a restaurant, a kitchen, or even a post office! I designed this space with two year old K in mind. He loves to cook, both pretend and real, and I am hoping to foster that love even further. So far, it's working. Both J and K love to make smoothies and other delights, such as cheese tea, in this play area. They have spent countless hours playing (and making a mess!) in this little corner of our playroom.
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This space is filled with wonderful little details from homemade goodies to real machines and containers.
Here's a list of things you can find in our imaginary play area:
- Green Toys dish set
- Royal brand cash register - It's a hand-me-down cash register given to us by my parents.
- Cordless telephone - Our phone from our old house.
- Small play kitchen - A garage sale find for $5!
- Plastic play food - Random bits given to us by a friend.
- Homemade felt oven mitts from our pack and play stove
- Felt play food
- Recipe book (in French) from Blendtec blender
- Glass spice jars with labels on the lid
- Measuring spoons, measuring cups, wooden spoons, and various other utensils - Most are purchased from the dollar store.
- Stovetop lid from our pack and play stove
- Old wallets filled with expired cards, fake credit cards, and used gift cards
- A basket with envelopes and small packages
- Empty recyclables
My boys especially love the real containers that are used in their play area. It's a great way for them to practice fine motor skills (opening and closing containers), while exposing them to environmental print. Pretty much every recipe they cook has a squirt of mustard or a generous serving of maple syrup! I've eaten many bizarre combinations!
I love the personalized details on the wall, such as the DIY felt bunting. I also cut out some vinyl using my Silhouette Cameo to make the sign below. I used chalkboard vinyl to create the mini chalkboard with "Today's Specials" that you can see above the cash register (see photos at the top of this post). The boys, especially J, love to write their daily specials with chalk. That's where cheese tea was once featured.
Like I said, this imaginary play area has been a huge hit with the boys for cooking...
Or running a store...
Or practicing real life skills. Don't forget those oven mitts!
Looking for more playroom inspiration? Check out these other ideas:
Or browse my Play Spaces for Kids board on Pinterest for even more ideas!
