Pretend play boys


Top 10 Pretend Play Toys for Toddler Boys

 

This week we are sharing our top 10 pretend play toys! Caden loves to play pretend  now. And every once in a while I can hear him having conversations with his toys or acting out a scene from a movie or TV show with his toys. It’s so cute! Here are his top ten favorite toys to pretend with!

Last Christmas Caden received this Step2 Lifestyle Fresh Accents Kitchen set from his grandparents. He has enjoyed playing with it all year-long. We also have a Green Toys Chef Set. I like Green Toys because they are made out of recycled milk jugs and they make some really great gender neutral toys for kids!

Caden loves to play outside and over the last two years we have collected a good amount of garden tools, buckets and other pretend play toys. Caden loves to pretend to dig a garden and mow the grass. We have some basic sand shovels and buckets as well as a plastic set of tools including a rake, shovel and hoe. We also have this Little Tikes Gas ‘n Go Mower that Caden really enjoys pushing around the yard.

Caden LOVES to play with his cars! Can you tell from that picture? He gets a new little car almost every week! (He knows right where they are in the grocery store…) It doesn’t matter to him what brand we get, just that they are cool and different from what we already have.

Lately Caden has been really into playing with little action figures. We started him off with a Fisher-Price Imaginext knight and now have a whole collection of Imaginext action figures from different sets. We have a few from the Imaginext City set, and one from the Imaginext Space set, as well as others. Caden is also really into Transformers Rescue Bots and we are working on growing a collection.

We have been collecting Safari Ltd mini animal toobs for about a year now. We just love them! Caden likes to dump them all out and play with them. They are also great for setting up a small world scene to play with or to add to a sensory bin like this Insect Sensory Bin or this Ocean Sensory Table.

Like his little animals, Caden also enjoys playing with his dinosaur figures. He pretends to make then crash & smash, fight each other and eat. We have a handful of larger dinosaurs as well a the miniature dinosaurs from Safari Ltd.

Caden was on a train kick for a while and really enjoyed playing with this wooden train set from Target. This is a great set for beginners and toddlers who have fickle interests. We also have various non name brand train cars as well as some well know Thomas train cars. He still enjoys playing with his trains although not as much as his cars or action figures.

Caden likes to play with his stuffed animals. He only has a select amount of stuffed animals but he loves to play with them. He has a couple bears from Build-a-Bear that were gifts to his Dad, a Black Lab puppet, Shaun the Sheep and a little kitty that he sleeps with. He likes to pretend to be a doctor with his B. Dr. Doctor kit and fix up his stuffed animal patients. He also likes to push Shaun the Sheep around in his shopping cart.

Caden has loved his Little People Barn since he first got it for his first birthday. He loves to take the animals, put them in the barn and make their noises. He also loves to play with his Little People Zoo (we call it a jungle) and the extra animals we have, the School Bus, and Helicopter.

Give this boy a truck and he will be happy for a long time. He loves to play outside with his large Tonka trucks. We have the classic metal Tonka Dump Truck, these things last forever! My brother’s old Tonka Dump Truck is still around, it’s a little rusty but Caden loves to play with it at Grandma’s house. We also have an older Tonka Rescue Jeep similar to this one, that was handed down to use from my Aunt. He loves to push that truck around the yard and have races with the dump truck. Caden has also been playing with my brother’s old ertl red metal tractor and wagon.

For more Top Ten Holiday Lists please check out these posts from my co-hosts!

Pretend Play Toys for Boys and Girls ~ Top 10 Lists: Pretend Play Toys for under 3 year olds ~ Top 10 Gifts to Encourage Pretend Play for Preschoolers ~ Top 10 Pretend Play Toys for Preschoolers ~ Top 10 Pretend Play Toys in Our House ~ Top 10 Preschool Pretend Play Toys ~ Top Ten Pretend Play Toys For Preschoolers

And check back next Tuesday for another Top Ten Holiday List!

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10 of the best children's toys for pretend play UK for 2023

We've been taking a good, hard look at loads of pretend-play toys, in a range of prices, and– with the help of our child testers – have whittled them down to a very select few.

1. Playhouse Ice Cream Van, £99.99

– Great for 'serving customers' play

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 5+ | Batteries: None
Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021

What it is: A 100cm x 73cmx 97cm wooden ice cream van with serving hatch, internal slide-top chest freezer and blackboard menu. There are stencils and patterns marked out on the packaging for you to make cardboard cones, ice cream and accessories.

Why we love it: Imaginative play and ice cream are a match made in heaven! This sturdy play van may take a while to assemble – our testers say just over an hour – but, once it’s built, the kids can let their imaginations go wild coming up with fun ice cream concoctions to serve through the hatch. Our child tester Joseph, 4, said, "I like everything – but the freezer is the best as I can put all my ice creams in there to stop melting!" The DIY accessories are a nice idea but probably won't last that long. We appreciated the little painted details, like the soft-serve machine painted inside the van, though.

Available at: Uber Kids and Argos

2. LeapFrog Count-along Basket & Scanner, £33.99

– Great for matching and counting

Age suitability: 2+ | Best for age: 2+ | Batteries: 2 x AAA (included)
Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021

What it is: A 24cm-high shopping basket that comes with 8 pieces of play food and an interactive 'scanner' that recognises each food item as you 'scan' it. It has 3 game modes based on colours, shapes, counting and food groups. The handle on the basket can also be pulled out to turn it into a rollalong trolley basket. Comes with instructions and 3 scannable double-sided shopping lists.

Why we love it: It's solidly made, brightly coloured, with well thought out games (and a friendly, encouraging voice to guide you through them) – but the scanner is the absolute star. The fact that it recognises each food captivated all our child testers. Donna, mum of Holly, 2, said the toy hadn’t left her daughter’s side since she got it. "Holly enjoys playing shop," she said, "so this toy with the scanning device took it to the next level. She keeps wanting to show it to anyone that comes round. She is playing with it independently and saying the names of the different food items, so already she is learning from it. I can see great potential for this toy in imaginative play for many years to come."

Available at: Argos, Smyths Toys and Studio

3. Great Little Trading Company Growing Garden Wooden Toy, £70

– Great for nature lovers

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 4+ | Batteries: None
Awards: Silver, MadeforMums Toy Awards 2021

What it is: A 30cm x 44cm wooden gardening set with flowers, fruit and vegetables to plant, water, dig and harvest. Includes 1 tulip, 1 sunflower, 2 lettuces, 2 strawberries, 2 carrots, 3 tomatoes, 3 peppers, 2 potatoes, 5 seed markers, 1 watering can, 1 trowel, 1 crate, and 1 packet of seeds.

Why we love it: It's beautiful to look at, easy to carry and we really like the Velcro on the veg, so you can stick them onto their stalks – and then pick them off. We like the seed markers too – good for developing early reading skills. Our child tester Jaime, 3, said: "I like the look of it. I REALLY like the fork!" His mum Aimee added, "I’m very impressed but the design and detail of this: it is possibly one of the highest-quality toys we own."

Available at: Great Little Trading Company

4. Melissa & Doug Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter, £42.99

– Great for hand eye coordination

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 3+ | Batteries: None
Awards: Silver, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021

What it is: A 22cm x 34cm x 20cm wooden ice cream counter playset that comes with 8 scoops of ice cream, 6 toppings and 2 cones. Also included are tongs, an ice cream scoop, spoon, paper cup, play money and a menu card.

Why we love it: We love the traditional feel and beautiful quality of this wooden toy, and the scoop is wonderful – it picks up the ice creams beautifully and lets you stack 'flavour' upon 'flavour' in the little cones. Out child tester Herbie, 5, really got into role playing, passing around the menu, taking orders from Mum and Dad and making everyone their favourite ice cream combo: "I always get the chocolate cone, chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce because I love chocolate!" His mum Rachel would have liked a little cash drawer to keep the play money in but was really impressed by the toy's universal appeal, adding, "Herbie's cousins, ranging from 3 to 11, came to visit and all of them played with this toy for nearly an hour together – wow!"

Available at: Smyths Toys and Amazon

5. Casdon Electronic Washer, £30

– Great for sound effects

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 3+ | Batteries: 3 x C (not included)
Awards: Bronze, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021

What it is: A 30cm-high toy washing machine with 2-speed spinning drum, pull out detergent drawer and 4 buttons to press. The on button lights up and it makes noises like a real washing machine. Comes in either grey or pink and includes a small laundry basket and pretend washing powder box.

Why we love it: It's quite a dinky little washing machine but the sound effects and spinning drum are great and lots of fun. Our child tester Sofia, 3, was excited to use it and she enjoyed watching it go through the different stages of the wash cycle, pressing the different buttons. "I like the sounds and the basket for the washing," she said. Do note that the batteries it uses are not your usual AA or AAAs, so may not be quite so easy to find.

Available at: Amazon, Selfridges and Argos

6. TP Muddy Madness Wooden Mud Kitchen, £149.99

– Great for muddy fun

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 3+ | Batteries: None

What it is: A deluxe 108cm x 43cm x 369cm mud kitchen, made from FSC-certified timber. Includes an oven with opening door, a removable splash tub with slide-over wood cover and a refillable water butt and tap. Comes with a set of stainless steel pots and pans and a mixing whisk. Requires about 1 hour of assembly.

Why we love it: It’s sturdy, stylish, and, basically, pretend-play heaven. We particularly like the 'hobs rings' you stencil on and the blackboard above the sink. Our child testers loved the water butt a lot. Oh, and how easily it all hoses down after the mud is slung!

Available at: TP Toys and John Lewis

7. Tender Leaf Table Top Tool Bench, £76

– Great for wannabe construction geniuses

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 3+ | Batteries: None

What it is: A 42cm x 25cm x 49cm 28-piece wooden tool bench. Comes with 5 tools, a vice, a storage shelf and a chalkboard as well as nuts, bolts and pieces of drilled wood.

Why we love it: This reclaimed rubberwood table-top-sized work bench looks amazing and the tools are chunky and well-made. We particularly like how there's a special hanging place for the saw, and holes you can stow the spanner and screwdriver in. Our testers had fun drawing on the blackboard, 'crushing' things in the vice and making robot faces (like in the picture) with the nuts and bolts.

Available at: Wooden Toy Shop and Bright New Things

8. LeapFrog Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart, £52.99

– Great for musical pretend play

Age suitability: 2+ | Best for age: 2+ | Batteries: 3 x AA

What it is: A push-along cart with 8 scoops of ice cream, 3 toppings, 3 syrups, 2 storage drawers, a till, a syrup pump and 6 double-sided order/activity cards of varying difficulties. The 'magic' scooper for serving up orders recognises colours and flavours, and the cart plays music if you push it around. Needs some (easy) assembly.

Why we love it: Where do we start?! From the satisfying click of the scooper to the endless learning opportunities of serving ice-cream orders to customers, this toy inspires SO much fun. Our testers adored dinging the bell when an order was ready and ringing up the till, while their parents really liked the entertaining way it teaches colours, numbers, sequencing, memory and matching skills.

Available at: Amazon and Argos

9. Le Toy Van Honeybee Market, £69.95

– Great for playing shop

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 3+ | Batteries: None

What it is: A 40cm x 38cm x 64cm wooden market stall with a striped cloth canopy, a bell and 2 deep shelves. Comes with a wooden crate containing apples and pears and a canvas shopping bag. Additional crates and matching accessories available separately. Requires some self-assembly.

Why we love it: It's beautifully made and super-sturdy. We really like that the fruit are part-fabric (lovely to touch) but we do wish there were more of them. Our child testers absolutely loved the little bell on the side. Does take a while to assemble.

Available at: Le Toy Van and Wonderland Models

10. Melissa & Doug Slice and Stack Sandwich Counter, £42.99

– Great for creative 'customer service'

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 3+ | Batteries: None

What it is: A 34cm x 22cm 52-piece wooden sandwich counter with a pretend meat and cheese slicer, wooden food slices, felt sandwich roll and toppings. Includes cup with a drink insert, menu, bottle of dressing, tongs and play money.

Why we love it: It totally caught our child testers' imagination – they were taking orders and creating fillings almost before we'd got it out of the box. We love how many pieces there are in this set and how well thought out everything is. Masses of fun.

Available at: Very, Amazon and Uber Kids

About the author

Helen is Deputy Editor of MadeForMums, the author of Parenting for Dummies (Wiley, £17. 99) and the Head Tester for our MadeForMums Toy Awards. She has written about parenting for Mumsnet, Pregnancy & Birth, Prima Baby, Boots Parenting Club and She Magazine and she's also been Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby. She has 3 boys and a heavy-duty washing machine.

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