Pretend play toys are some of my absolute favorites. Pretend play is such an important part of development for children, and it’s also so much fun! You are going to love this list of some of the best dramatic play for kids gifts for all kinds of make-believe adventures.
PLAY HOUSES FOR KIDS
Air Fort This is without a doubt the easiest fort to build and is sure to elevate pretend play for kids’ adventures. It goes up in seconds with a household box fan, and it’s big enough that grownups can fit too!
Space Ship Play Tent This tent is sure to provide hours of pretend adventures for your space-loving kids! It’s lightweight, easy to set up with 4 poles and a roof anchor, and also comes with a carrying case.
Play House Tent I love the sleek minimalistic design of this fabric playhouse, and the best part is that the structure is easy to put together. Fits about 4 small children. This would even be a great space for creating a Calm Down Corner.
PLAY FOOD GIFT IDEAS
Ice Cream Counter Play food is such a fun form of pretend play for kids. This ice cream counter is great for hands-on imaginative play and one that has been a favorite of ours for 6 years! The ice cream scoop actually scoops up the ice cream, and the set also includes cones, cups, and toppings.
Silicone Tea Set The neutral colors of this tea set are timeless! Also, it’s made from food-grade silicone making it safe for littles and safe for the dishwasher! Get ready to welcome all the pretend tea parties – a favorite type of pretend play for kids!
Felt Pizza Counting Great for number recognition, counting, and sorting, your kids will love this pizza learning toy to add into their pretend play toys collection. One of the best toys for pretend play!
Wooden Birthday Cake with Candles This pretend wooden cake is beautifully handcrafted and perfect for any pretend celebration. It includes 6 slices and 6 removable candles, and comes in a variety of custom colors. You may even want to avoid the mess and use it for smash cake photos!
Wooden Chocolate Chip Cookies I absolutely love these handmade wooden cookies and can definitely say that a play kitchen is never complete without cookies!
Sip and Tip Juice Bottles Your little one will certainly love these “disappearing” liquid juice bottles. The set comes with 6 flavors and a reusable menu card.
Melissa and Doug Cutting Food Set These are the best pretend play toys for your play kitchen. In fact, with every pretend slice your kids are having fun and also learning at the same time!
Plush Campfire Felt Set Let your kids spark their creativity with this cute, plush, pretend campfire set. It also comes with pretend s’mores ingredients!
DRESS UP PLAY FOR KIDS
Dress Up Center Playing dress up is the ultimate form of dramatic play for kids, but it can be a pain to find a way to store all the clothes and accessories in one place. That’s why I absolutely love this dress-up center complete with a hanging rod and storage shelves. It even has a built-in mirror!
Kids Vanity and Stool This beautiful white vanity has a great center storage drawer for storing all the accessories. I can say without reservation that this will be a big hit for dramatic play in any girls room or play room! My girls are obsessed with this one.
Foam Sword I love this super soft, yet durable, rainbow foam sword! Definitely a great pretend play toy addition to any dress-up collection.
Sarah Silks Butterfly Wings These butterfly wings are airy, light, and oh-so silky. They strap on kind of like a backpack and then have loops for your thumbs. I’m telling you, the imaginative play possibilities are endless!
Personalized Fabric Crown These personalized fabric crowns are so much better compared to paper ones that only last a few hours! They’re extremely durable to last throughout the years, and you can’t deny how cute they are!
OCCUPATIONAL ROLE PLAY
Menu Diner Set This is a cute retro diner menu set for when your kids want to play restaurant. All the pieces are laminated so you can wipe clean and play again!
Baking Chef Set If you have any budding little chefs at your house they will definitely love this set. It has an apron, chef hat, baking utensils, and even a recipe book. One of the best toys for pretend play!
Miniature Dyson Vacuum Pretend play is a way for children to make sense of their world around them. Adding in pretend play toys that they see in their every day life is a beneficial way for them to role play what they see so often. This mini vacuum looks realistic and is sure to be the type of dramatic play that gets kids excited about helping.
Super Smile Dentist Kit Your kids are going to love taking care of these pretend teeth! In addition to giving pretend cleanings, they can also treat cavities, and fit retainers. And did I mention it’s a great tool for teaching kids about taking care of their own real teeth?!
Movie Theatre Snack Bar Set Step right up to this amazing pretend movie theater snack bar! It comes with a wooden popcorn maker, hot dog roller, condiments, sodas, candy bars, and a cash register! This is sure to provide hours of beneficial imaginative play!
REALISTIC WOODEN GIFTS
Retro Wooden Phone This is THE cutest pretend phone and a major blast from the past. I love the retro design and that it comes with a coin purse and pretend play toy coins!
Wooden Tape Recorder Modeled after the old school boombox, but perfectly modern in design, this is sure to be the coolest toy in the playroom! It even LIVE RECORDS on the wooden cassette tape!
Wooden Steering Wheel and Dashboard Your car lover is going to absolutely love this dashboard and steering wheel. This dashboard has lights, moving parts, sounds and key. Check out my Toy Cars for Kids Gift Guide for more vehicle gift ideas!
I hope you find something (or many things!) you love on this years Pretend Play Toys Gift Guide. Pretend play gifts are always so exciting for the kids and provide hours of learning and entertainment. Leave me a comment and let me know which gift idea is your favorite! Check out my other gift ideas here!
