Real Kitchen Tools vs. Play Kitchens - Which Is Better for Development?

Which is better - a learning tower and real child-sized kitchen tools OR a play kitchen with pretend food?

From an early childhood development perspective, BOTH are great.

There’s a common misconception in Montessori that pretend play and toys are discouraged.

People also think that all tools - kitchen, cleaning, or hand tools - should be real, in order to be most beneficial.

But that's not the case.

Why Real Tools

In the early years, children have a strong desire to participate in real life. 

They want to do what we do. 

When we give them real tools (appropriately sized and introduced), something shifts. Their concentration deepens and confidence develops. You can see the pride they feel after 'doing it themselves'.

However, this doesn’t mean that pretend tools and toys aren’t valuable.

Benefits of Pretend Tools

Toy versions of real kitchen and cleaning tools often give parents peace of mine. Children can explore freely, act out scenarios, and repeat what they see in daily life without much risk.  

There's also huge benefits to pretend play, especially when it's collaborative:

• development of social and emotional skills
• language development
• building of empathy
• increased collaborative and communication skills

Follow The Child

Follow the child and you’ll likely find you end up with a mixture of both. 

Even in a Montessori classroom, where children have access to the real things, children will turn puzzle racks into an oven and pom poms into baked goods. 

Without any adult interference, children will often combine reality and imagination.

And it's wonderful for them to experience the benefits of both!