Kids Role Play Toys: The Benefits Of Pretend Play

Who doesn't love to daydream? Kids start roleplaying from around 2-3 years old, preparing them to become creative and well-rounded adults in the future. With kids role play toys, you can turn every day into a magical adventure, building your little one's imagination, confidence, and social skills along the way.

In this blog, we’ll take a trip through the wonderful world of pretend play and explore how these toys do so much more than keep kids entertained. 

What is the difference between role play and pretend play?

There's not much of a difference between role play and pretend play! In fact pretend play is a broad term for any kind of imaginative activity, like giving a puppet a silly voice, imagining a cardboard box is a rocket ship or having a tea party with your teddy bears. Role play is a type of pretend play where kids act out real-life roles and characters such as pretending to be a builder, chef, or vet. Role play toys are perfect for this because they give children props and costumes that help them step into these roles.

What are the benefits of pretend play?

We've already mentioned a few positives of pretend play, but let's put on our imaginary snorkels and dive further in! 

Fosters imagination and creativity 

Whether they're imagining they're a Formula 1 driver in a cardboard box car or putting on a play in the living room, pretend play allows kids to think creatively and use their imaginations to create new worlds and scenarios. By using their imagination, they can learn how to think outside of the box, helping them to problem-solve and overcome challenges.

Using role play toys such as costumes, helps kids engage in pretend play in a more specific way. They can use their imaginations to act out real-life situations. For example, when pretending to be a police officer, they could learn concepts like the difference between right and wrong and how to organise themselves, all through the power of imagination! 

Develops Communication and language skills 

Pretend play can help bring kids out of their shells. One of the great benefits of pretend play is that it fosters children's communication skills, helping them to express their ideas, develop their language abilities and cooperate with others. For instance, kids could be working together in a play shop, where they'll have to learn the names of the things they're selling and talk to each other about their roles in the shop, boosting their language and cooperation skills. Developing these communication skills at a young age will help your little chatterboxes to make friends and work well with others in the future. 

Enhances emotional development 

Playing with role play toys, such as pretend food can help little ones boost their confidence and empathy for others when they work together. Additionally, through pretend play, kids can express their thoughts, feelings and emotions, supporting their mental wellbeing and helping them to become well-rounded individuals. An example might be that your tots are pretending to be chefs. If one of the children isn't sure what to put in the 'meal' or something goes 'wrong', then the other child can find ways to help them and console them, developing their empathy skills. 

Improves memory 

A surprising benefit of pretend play is the effect it has on your kid's cognitive development. Children can enhance their memory skills by recalling the names they've given their stuffed animals or remembering what a doctor's role is. Role play toys like pretend cafes can help kids with their memory and planning skills because they have to remember the coffee orders and figure out how to make mini espressos for their parents. 

Now that you’ve learnt all about the amazing benefits of pretend play, check out our collection of kids role play toys for your little one to expand their imagination!

Our Kids Role Play Toys

Dressing Up

Become a builder, flourish as a firefighter or shine as a scientist with our unique range of children's dress up costumes! These fabulous fits are perfect for role play games or as an outfit for a kids fancy dress party. Take a gander at a couple of our favourite dressing up clothes below. 

Mail Carrier Dress Up

Knock, knock. We've got an extra special delivery for you... Our Mail Carrier Dress Up set! Kids can step into their role as a petite postman or postwoman with this quirky pretend play costume. These wonderful kids dress up costumes come with a variety of role play accessories. The Mail Carrier Dress Up includes a classic red vest and mailbag, along with an array of parcels, letters, postcards and takeaway menus. It even features pretend dog treats for little furry friends! This dress-up set is perfect for expanding your little postie's imagination and introducing them to working roles. 

Train Conductor Dress Up

All aboard! Guide the engines through the station with the terrific Train Conductor Dress Up kit. This toddler dress up set is the perfect present for your train-obsessed tot and features a double-layered blue jacket and matching hat, together with signal flags, a name badge and a pocket watch. Ideal for role play, our Train Conductor costume helps kids to develop their social skills, telling 'train drivers' when to stop and their creativity as they imagine themselves in the role.  

Want a fast track to further fun? Discover more of our kids dress up range on our website 

Cooking toys

Stir up their creativity and whisk them away to the kitchen with these creative cooking role play toys! 

Toy Air Fryer 

Crisp up chicken and quickly cook some delicious veggies with our brilliant new Air Fryer Toy! Perfect for a play kitchen, this Toy Air Fryer features a mini basket, a temperature dial and five wooden food toys to play with. This kids role play toy helps little ones understand the basics of cooking and the importance of healthy diets, as they mimic everyday cooking scenarios. Mini chefs can also develop their fine motor skills by opening the frying tray and placing the play food in the fryer, and expand their imaginations as they dream up their own air fryer recipes. 

Casserole Dish Set 

Make a delicious meal for the whole family with the Casserole Dish Set. This children's kitchen set features an elegant blue toy cooking pot, a stock of wooden vegetables and a ladle to serve up satisfying stews. Can children enjoy pretending to be little cooks and engaging in open-ended role play? Yes, chef! But with this Casserole Dish Set, they can also learn about different food groups and discover new veggies to reduce their fussiness when it comes to real-life mealtimes. 

Other pretend play toys and sets 

Tech Set

Teach your tiny tech whiz life skills without the need for actual computer screens with our Tech Set. Part of our collection of wooden role play toys, this Tech Set contains 95 pieces to enjoy! Featuring a modern-day laptop made of wood with a magnetic blackboard screen so kids can pretend they're at the office working on super-classified documents. Comes with magnetic letters, numbers and a sticker set to learn and customise their computer kits. This interactive set is the perfect role play toy for kids because the magnets help them with their number and letter recognition as well as their dexterity. Comes with with a carry case for portable fun!

Shopping Trip Set 

Check out our brand new Shopping Trip Set! This role play shop kit comes with all your supermarket essentials, including a shopping list, lemons, yoghurt, soy sauce, dog food, a shopping list and much more! All ready to be packed away in a delightful stripey grocery bag. Kids can pretend they're doing their weekly shop, expanding their imaginations. Your little ones will love playing with this shopping trip set with friends and family, one of you can be the customer and the other can role play a shopkeeper, teaching them teamwork and cooperative skills. 

Coffee Shop

I'll have the cappuccino with oat milk and a pastry, please! Your baby baristas will have a brew-tifal time serving up hot beverages and treats with our Coffee Shop. This little cafe set comes with a coffee machine, a cup and saucer, take-away cups and sweet snacks for a latte of fun. Cafe role play toys are fantastic for kids to develop their social skills and language development as they take orders from customers. Inspire their imaginations by ordering the wildest coffee you can imagine!  

More Role Play Toys 

Have you got a future doctor in the family? A budding baker? Explore our expansive collection of incredible kids role play toys on our website for more pretend play ideas.