The best children’s play shop and accessories for every child
Children love to play pretend and they especially love acting out things they see in real life which is why a wooden play shop or kitchen, tool benches, doctors kits and dolls are all such popular children’s toys.
Children learn through play, it’s their way of engaging with and understanding the world, so providing a space for imaginative play is one of the best gifts we can give our children, and a play shop is perfect as it can be used in so many ways.
The best wooden play shops
A proper wooden play shop like the Bigjigs village shop or the Small Foot shop makes the most amazing toy. These wooden stores are big enough for children to stand behind the counter and have plenty of shelves for displaying their wares. However, they do take up quite a bit of space.
If you don’t have room for such a bulky toy then the reversible theatre and shop by Tidlo or the market stalls by Small Foot or Tender Leaf are great alternatives that take up much less space and yet still offer plenty of play potential.
These playshops can then be used in any way your child chooses from a village store to a toy shop or hardware store depending on the accessories.
The best play shop accessories
If you are playing shop then the number one accessory has to be a till, and in fact if you have a till and some pretend money you can make pretty much anything into the shop itself.
A till is a great accessory as it introduces the concept of money to children. The fact that you have to exchange money for goods is something they will see when they go shopping with you. But they can also learn that money is a finite resource and that if they buy too much they will run out.
Our huge range of wooden play food is perfect for shopping games and works brilliantly combined with a weighing scale, the ideal accessory for any village shop or grocery store. And if you don’t have a lot of play food why not try weighing out building blocks instead of apples.
And of course it’s always good to have a few baskets and crates to display your product.
Another favourite shopping accessory is a little wooden shopping trolley, perfect for mimicking a real-life supermarket shopping trip. And again if you don’t quite have space a little basket which can also be used for storing play food or a cloth bag works just as well.
Other accessories that complement a play shop
If you happen to be lucky enough to have a wooden play shop and a toy kitchen then the likelihood is that setting up a cafe will be a popular game to play. Add a coffee machine so your little one can serve delicious hot drinks to lucky customers and an ice cream cart for scrumptious treats on a warm day.
If you don’t have a kitchen then a little portable kitchen, a tea set or a kettle and toaster is a great way to turn a play shop into a cafe without adding too many big toys.
And if you’d rather make your own shop and accessories we have some great ideas for a DIY pretend grocery store here.
