Fun Toys for Pretend Play! Gift Guide for Kids
We love pretend play around here! I am always in awe of my kids imagination. These fun toys have proven time and time again how creative and imaginative they are. I’m always hearing them say or do things that I didn’t know they knew when they engage in this type of play.
Today I am sharing some of our favorite toys – 0nes that we actually own and are Kid Approved. These are the toys that get played with regularly, if not daily, and provide hours of fun for my little cuties!
*This post contains Amazon referral links to the products mentioned. Please see our full disclosure policy here.
Fun Toys for Pretend Play
1. Pink Veterinarian Play Kit
If you follow our blog regularly, then you may already know that dogs are my daughter’s favorite. My brother sent money for Christmas presents and while browsing the Toys R Us website, I stumbled upon this vet kit and ordered it instantly. It’s even in her 3 favorite colors!
The stethoscope is our favorite since you can actually hear sounds through it. Not heartbeats, but if you tap the pink end or blow into it, it sounds neat! Little Sister enjoys feeding all her doggies with the pink dish and brushing their fur. She thinks the mini bottle is hilarious to feed them with too.
2. Fisher-Price Medical Kit
I got an amazing deal on this doctor kit and it would have been worth it even if I had paid full price. It’s so stinkin’ cute to watch them ‘check up’ their patients, especially when my then 3 year old son used the stethoscope and otoscope (yellow toy in the hand) to check his newborn baby sister and his stuffed penguins on Christmas morning.
They both like think it’s funny to make us take medicine or give us shots in the leg. Haha!
3. Step2 Lifestyle Fresh Accents Kitchen
Another awesome purchase from my totally awesome brother is this play kitchen. Even though he lives across the country, he was able to order this using the Walmart site-to-store feature so we could pick it up locally.
We chose this one because it is gender neutral and has fun features like a mini refrigerator, oven, microwave, sink, and cabinets. It comes the coffee pot, cups, bowl, plates, fake food, salt & pepper shakers, and frying pans. The stove top makes ‘frying’ sounds when a pan is placed on top of it. It also has a little phone that hangs up.
The kids use the window area to play ‘restaurant’ and take orders through it.
4. Melissa & Doug Cutting Food
Big Brother and Little Sister are fascinated with slicing and cutting bread, fruits, and vegetables. It comes with a cutting board and toy knife. After trying plastic food and having them squished, the wooden fruit is definitely the way to go. I love the quality of the Melissa and Doug wooden toys.
5. Melissa & Doug Slice and Bake Cookie Set
How cute is this cookie set?! It comes with an oven mitt, baking sheet, wood knife, and spatula. The wooden cookies have velcro on them and are stored in the cookie dough container. My 3 year old loves to pull the cookie dough out and slice it with the wood knife. Then she places the cut cookie on the baking sheet which also has velcro on it for them to stick to. After her cookies are finished baking, she places on the frosting (also with velcro). and serves them using the spatula. Too cute!
6. Melissa & Doug Wooden Sandwich-Making Set
This create-a-sandwich is perfect for playing restaurant. We tell the kids what we would like them to make us – great as a following instruction activity! I like that the pieces velcro together and can be mixed and matched. It comes in a wooden tray that is great for storing.
7. Minnie’s Boutique Shopping Cart
I just love buying girly things like this MinnieMouse shopping cart! It comes with pink heel that my little girl is always wearing around our home. It comes with different color bows that attack to the shoes and can be changed out. There are also plastic hair bows that we use for bracelets as well as hair. The one I linked to on Amazon doesn’t seem to come with the shoes according to the details.
I think we purchased our from Toys R Us. If you haven’t signed up to receive offers from them, we always get $5 off $25 coupons and $3 (can be used on $3!) for Christmas and birthdays. Since the kids birthdays are around the holidays, we usually take a trip there and pair the coupons with the current sales to get awesome deals!
8. Disney Princess Tea Pot Cinderella
My daughter plays with her tea set everyday for a couple of years now. Sometimes she pulls it out several times a day and makes us all pink tea or sparkle coffee, many times with one of the wooden cookies. So cute! I still remember when I was with my husband picking out toys for Christmas, he gave me a look when I grabbed the tea set. You know, the look where he doesn’t think it will ever get played with. LOL! Now he drinks pretend tea several times a week and loves it!
9. Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Bollie Broom
We have a few of the Mollie & Bollie toys. This adorable one was from Santa (shhh…). My 3 year old loves it as do the kids I babysit for occasionally who are now 8 and 9 years old.It’s one of the toys they grab for first when they come over. They set up a whole ‘sweeping’ area complete with pretend walls by the toy kitchen.
I love that it makes an everyday chore seem fun!
10. Melissa & Doug Play Money Set
My kids are always playing with gold coins so I knew they would love this play money set. My daughter fills up her coin purse while Big Brother has games where the winners receive money (such as racing his hot wheels). This past year, it is brought out every time the kids I baby-sit for are here. The 2 of them plus my 2 always manage to find an activity where they use ALL of the money. I get worried that it won’t get cleaned up, but the kids love sorting the money just as much!
The cutest thing I have seen them use it for is pretending to be the Chuck E. Cheese Mouse. One gets to be Chuck E. Cheese and they throw the paper money up into the air like they’ve participated in when we go to play there. Chuck E. Cheese has the kids do a dance and then throws tickets everywhere for the kids to grab.
We have also used it as an incentive to get the kids to do or not do certain things and then purchase TV or Wii time. When they do chores or are helpful among other things, they earn money. When they don’t clean up when told, etc. they have to pay me back the money. The next day they can purchase screen time or save it. My son would go days without just so he could have over $10…tee, hee.
11. Melissa & Doug My Own Mailbox
It’s so cute to watch Big Brother and Little Sister write letter and postcards to each other or come up to me with a huge smile telling me that I have mail. It comes with stickers to make up their own address and name. They loved when I put sweet little Valentines and treats in it for Valentine’s Day. I plan to use it to place their Christmas cards in that my mom and grandma send them every year.
12. Fisher-Price Imaginext Eagle Talon Castle
Have you heard of HouseParty.com? It’s a place that connects everyday people who enjoy trying new products with companies looking for a way to advertise their new product, show, etc. The items that you receive are free and you get to hold a ‘house party’ inviting friends and family over to try the product(s). The guests always get things like coupons and other fun things. We were so excited to have been picked for the Imaginext House party. The castle above and the dragon, ogre, and battering ram toy below all came in the package from them.
The Eagle Talon Castle can be stored with the sides folded in when not in use. Pull the side out when ready to play – it huge (wide)! It comes with catapults, knights, armour, and has many different features for playing.
13. Fisher-Price Imaginext Dragon
Both my kids were scared of this toy at first. They’re not anymore. It’s a fun dragon that syncs with the castle so that when they are near each other, the dragon roars. The wings also flap up and down and it has handle that can be squeezed for the head to move and grab things with it’s mouth.
14. Fisher-Price Imaginext Ogre
The ogre also makes noises when close to the castle. The arm swing and can carry a knight figurine. Both this and the dragon are a big size so we use them and the castle on top of the dresser as decor when they are not playing with them.
15. Fisher-Price Imaginext Castle Battering Ram
This is another one that makes noises when close to the castle. It has foot spaces for a knight to stand on that turns. It has a catapult for pretending to hit the castle or the ogre and dragon depending on whose side you want to be on.
16. Black and Decker Deluxe Tool Set with Toolbox
My mom bought this for my son when he was younger and now his sister plays with it just as much. It makes me smile to see them pretend to help Papa fix the car! They also have fun measuring things around our home. It comes with it’s own toolbox that you can build, take-a-part, and then build again.
What’s your favorite toy that inspires imaginative play? We would love to hear about them!
Is it something homemade or maybe for an older child? Check our our pretend play posts here and browse our Pretend Play Pinterest Board for more fun play ideas!
