Should every child have a toy tea set?
A little tea set is a classic toy. Most of us will remember playing with one as a child, even if we didn’t have one ourselves, and they are still a wonderful role play toy today. Your little one will delight in making you endless cups of tea, bringing you a never-ending supply of biscuits (don’t worry they’re all calorie-free) and creating fabulous tea parties for their toys.
Playing with a tea set incorporates lots of valuable skills including dexterity and fine motor skills, language and communication skills, social and emotional development, and of course the ability to get creative and use their imaginations.
A tea set is also a very versatile toy. It can be played with on its own or added to other toys for more complex role-play games. The teapot and cups might be the perfect addition to a toy toaster and pot of jam for a delicious breakfast, add a baking set and they can be making a special cake for when granny comes to tea, or combine with a cake stand and till for a wonderful cafe in your living room.
Playing in this way is vital for young children. It’s how they develop. And open-ended toys such as a tea set are the perfect invitation to play. They inspire creativity and spark the imagination without dictating how they should be played with.
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That being said there’s no need to go out and buy an expensive tea set if you’re not sure your little one will actually like it. All children are different and some would far rather be selling ice creams or bbq food than tea and cake.
And, even if you do think they would love playing tea parties, you may find you already have everything you need.
If you don’t want to buy a tea set check your cupboards or the local charity shops
Of course, you might get lucky and find a toy tea set but you will almost definitely find a couple of cheap cups and saucers and a probably even a teapot. And let be honest most of us have one in the back of the cupboard that never gets used.
Playing with real things is often even more fun than playing with toys and setting up a real tea set for them is a great way to see if it’s a toy they’ll enjoy. Plus with a real tea set, you can make real potions which are also lots of fun.
Next Up: The 5 Best Wooden Tea Sets of 2020
