![[DIY Craft] Handmade Play Kitchen Ideas](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/OvW3agvdm5Q/maxresdefault.webp)
Are you thinking about giving a play kitchen to your child? When you search online, you’ll find all kinds of play kitchens, but store-bought ones can be quite pricey, which makes it a tough decision.
So, how about gifting a handmade play kitchen instead? In this article, we’ve gathered ideas for DIY play kitchens.
We introduce a variety of ideas, from full-on DIY builds to ones made entirely with items from 100-yen shops, and even ones made from scrap materials.
Use these ideas as inspiration and make a play kitchen your child will love!
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[DIY Project] Handmade Play Kitchen Ideas (1–10)
A kitchen made from storable empty boxes
A handmade kitchen created using a cute storage box with a lid! Cut out an opening in the box’s lid so you can fit a tray to serve as the sink.
Near that, make another hole to insert the pump part of a hand soap bottle.
After that, stick on round pieces of felt to represent stovetop burners, and you’re done! It’s also recommended to decorate the outside of the box to make it even cuter.
The box can be used to store toy frying pans and play food, making cleanup a breeze!
Glowing gas stove
This is a pretty authentic handmade play kitchen where kids can cook with an IH-style stove and really feel the experience! The secret behind the glowing stove is an LED strip.
Lining the inside with aluminum foil makes the light reflect beautifully.
The base of the kitchen is a color storage cube you can buy at a home improvement store.
It’s adorable and makes you want to try making one yourself, and the lights and moving parts are sure to get kids super excited! If you’re a teacher or guardian who’s good with wiring and such, definitely give it a try.
Kitchen made with color (storage) boxes
If you lay a cube storage unit on its side to use as a base, you can create a play kitchen at just the right height for kids.
Cut out a section of the side panel to inset a dish as a sink, and use wood or corkboard to add a stovetop and stove knobs.
The cubbies are perfect as storage space for small toys! Even children who usually don’t like tidying up might be willing to help if you say, as part of the pretend play, “Let’s put everything away neatly under the kitchen.”
Kitchen made from reclaimed materials
A kitchen full of playful features: flames made from wool felt coming out of the stovetop grates, real water flowing from a pump that stands in for a faucet, and more.
All you need are materials like cardboard, pumps from used shampoo or hand soap bottles, trays, and toilet paper rolls.
It’s great that you can make it from household recyclables.
You can also use your favorite wrapping paper instead of a makeover sheet to cover the cardboard.
This DIY kitchen is eco-friendly and sure to delight your child—so enjoy crafting it together as a parent-child activity.
Easy 300-yen Kitchen
How about a handmade kitchen made from cardboard that you can customize any way you like? First, attach two large cardboard boxes together and secure them with packing tape.
Next, cut a hole to fit a tray that will serve as the sink.
If you cover the whole thing with white packing tape, you’ll get a stylish, white-themed kitchen.
Insert cardboard pieces as legs on both ends, and stick old DVDs or CDs on the top to represent stovetop burners—now the basics are done.
After that, have fun adding your own creative touches, like making doors or drawers on the lower section or adding small storage compartments!
2-way kitchen that can also be used as a pretend shop
On the front, it’s a store display case; on the back, it’s your very own kitchen.
This play kitchen lets you use both sides for 2-way play! The lower section on the front is a shelf, and the upper section is made to look like a glass display case using acrylic panels.
On the back, attach decorations like a stove and a microwave-style unit, plus racks, so kids can enjoy pretend play.
When it’s not in use, you can tidy up the display side and place it against the wall, letting it sit in the room while neatly hiding the cluttered, knickknack-filled kitchen side.
A kitchen that makes sounds
If you have a play kitchen that makes the clicking sound when you light a stove and the “ding” of a microwave, it will feel more realistic and your child is sure to love it even more! Install a turn-style stove knob and position it so it taps an acrylic plate inside; when you twist the knob, the acrylic plate is flicked and makes a “click-click” sound.
For the microwave sound, using something like a bicycle bell creates a very realistic effect.
You can just imagine the smile on your child’s face the moment the sound goes off.