• Delivery in France, Belgium, Spain, Italia, Austria & Germany
  • Free delivery from €40 purchase
Menu

Sign up for our Private Sale

Free shipping from €40 of purchase 🎁

Add to my wishlist

Vous devez avoir un compte pour pouvoir utiliser cette fonctionnalité.

Connexion Inscription

Buying guide: kitchen, dinnerwares & market

Reading time: 14 minutes.

Our advice for choosing the right one:

The children's kitchen , also called a " dinette ", is the pretend play toy that the whole family loves. Often complemented by accessories such as food or utensils , the little ones' wooden stove allows them to discuss a theme that brings them together: cooking and meals.

The market is a well-known imitation game. To their delight, children have fun selling their products to everyone around them thanks to a cash register and realistic fruits and vegetables . With their wooden market , little ones develop a multitude of skills while having fun.

Children love to imitate their older counterparts. They reproduce everyday actions (cooking, tinkering, taking care of others, etc.) and imagine stories, while developing a host of skills: this is why "pretend" games are so popular. Whether it's a gift for a birthday , for Christmas , or simply to delight a little apprentice cook, discover our advice on which play kitchen to choose or which accessories will best complement your child's wooden kitchen .

What age for a children's kitchen?

The child can start playing with his toy kitchen from the age of 3.

This is the age at which your toddler begins to want to imitate older children: they observe and then want to reproduce everyday actions. With their play kitchen , they will imitate mom or dad preparing and serving meals.

Safety standards for children aged 3 and over are specific. The presence of small parts, such as accessories or knobs on the wooden kitchenette , justifies the recommended age of 3 years. It is also important that the child can stand up unaided, to prevent them from tipping the kitchenette by leaning on it or getting their fingers caught in the cupboards.

Play Video

Choose a wooden children's kitchen : a beautiful and sturdy toy that will last for generations of little cooks. A source of exchange and sharing, the wooden kitchen will entertain siblings without worry, especially if it's adouble-sided kitchen ! To entertain children from 3 to 8 years old, a kitchen with accessories promises great stories.

How old should you be to play with food?

Everyone loves cooking games : you can imitate adults, serve meals to friends or family, invite your stuffed animals over for a snack... From 3 years old to 10 years old, play kitchens and cooking games entertain children and allow them to develop important social and organizational skills!

Choose a baking set so your little chef can join you in the kitchen. From the age of 5, your child can have fun on their own with their wooden play kitchen and create lots of stories!

How to choose the right kitchen for your child?

Determine the height of the worktop

Check the height of your kitchen countertop and compare it with your child's height. This will help you determine if the toy is suitable for your child's height, so they can enjoy it safely and for a long time.

Check the included accessories

Accessories are ideal for starting to have fun with your play kitchen right away! This way, you can be sure that the utensils and food included with the kitchen are suitable for it.

Choose a sound and/or light kitchen

A kitchen with lights and/or sounds is ideal for pretend play thanks to its realism. It's always more fun and interesting for a child to turn on the knobs and hear the sound of the water boiling!

Selecting the kitchen design

The centerpiece of a child's bedroom or living room, young and old alike appreciate it when a children's kitchen is almost as pretty as an adult's! Choose a wooden kitchen with trendy colors and innovative shapes: it will blend perfectly into your decor.

Comparison: our selection of wooden kitchens

Whether it's a play kitchen with sound and light, with or without accessories, a wooden kitchen will delight the whole family. Find a play kitchen for girls or boys that will delight them in our collection, or opt for something original with a barbecue play kitchen or a crepe stand !

  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 6 accessories included
  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 7 accessories included
  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 6 accessories included
  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 7 accessories included
  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 15 accessories included
  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 5 accessories included
  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 5 accessories included
  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 8 accessories included
  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 16 accessories included
  • Sound effects
  • Lights
  • 11 accessories included

What accessories should you choose for playing with your kitchen or play food?

Utensils, wooden food , toy dishes : accessories are essential to complete children's kitchens or play kitchens. To prolong the fun of using their toys or to create new recipes, find everything you need for delicious pasta dishes or a successful breakfast.

What accessories should you choose to play shopkeeper?

It's not enough to have a wooden market stall ; now you have to fill the shelves to satisfy the customers! Complete your child's market stall with adorable accessories like fruits and vegetables or eggs , all to slip into a shopping trolley that 's as real as life.

Janod kitchens, play kitchens and shopping trolleys: our customers' reviews

Our imitation toys: to be like the grown-ups!

If your child likes to imitate adults in the kitchen, they will surely enjoy doing the same with a workbench or musical instruments!

From the age of 3, Janod offers you a wide selection of realistic and complete imitation toys that will please little ones: accessories for babies, dolls and household items ; workbenches, tools and DIY ; imitation trades ; musical toys ; beauty .

Discover our entire range of wooden and cardboard imitation games for crafts, dolls, making music... And for all those who like to play teacher or doctor .

Why play house?

The benefits of imitation games for children

All children love to play pretend! The benefits of symbolic (or imitation) play are numerous and are definitely an asset to your toddler's psychomotor development:

  • He anticipates and plans his actions;
  • It nourishes his imagination and his reflection;
  • He develops his social skills: distinguishes between different social roles, organizes the different stages of preparing a meal, setting the table, and finally understands others and expresses himself;
  • He develops his language functions (comprehension and expressive);
  • He develops his family ties and becomes individual;
  • He becomes more independent in his actions and in his choices;
  • It enhances motor skills: it improves nesting, transfers and, more generally, bi-manual and eye-hand coordination.

Children repeat the words, gestures, and situations they have experienced. They act out and mime scenes from everyday life: don't hesitate to share these moments of play (and learning) with them. Through these shared moments, they will gradually learn, understand, and become comfortable with the world around them by reenacting what is happening around them.

How to use symbolic games properly?

Advice from a psychomotor therapist

How to play shop ? How to use your child's toy kitchen to interact with them? Gaëlle BLERVAQUE, a state-certified psychomotor therapist, explains here what symbolic play is and all the benefits of using it for a child's social and organizational development.

Discover in this video all the advice from an early childhood specialist on how to use imitation toys with your child!

How to set up a children's kitchen?

Here are some tips to make assembling your toy easier:

  • Two people are required to assemble the kitchen;
  • Preferably use a rug to assemble the kitchen on a non-slip floor;
  • A screwdriver is often required for assembly;
  • If you have opted for a large wooden market or kitchen, it is strongly recommended that you secure it to the wall for added safety, due to the weight of the toy. Fixings may be included with your kitchen, or you can purchase them from a hardware store.

Our tip: We recommend unwrapping the wooden kitchen before giving it to your child to ensure it meets your expectations. And for a "Wow" effect when you unveil the gift, you can assemble it before giving it. Your future little chef will be able to play with their play kitchen right away!

Find our kitchens, play kitchens & market stalls

To imitate the greatest!

To learn more about Janod and its toys: