How to Make a Play Kitchen

The imaginative play of small children often mimics real life. Craft a play kitchen reusing and recycling items you already have, or by visiting your local thrift store. These projects are more affordable than the plastic ones available at the toy store and they help the environment by keeping reusable supplies out of our landfills. The stove is made from an old nightstand with drawers, making it a great place to store toy pots and pans at the end of the day.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Basic nightstand with two drawers and 2-hole handles
• Drill, small bit and screwdriver bit
• Measuring tape
• 1-by-6 scrap wood
• Jigsaw
• 1-inch wood screws
• Sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• White latex acrylic house paint
• Paint brushes
• Assorted household items for circular patterns
• Pencil
• Gray and other desired colors of acrylic paint
• Three small oatmeal containers
• Leftover wallpaper
• Scissors
• Craft glue
• Nail
• 5 1 1/2-inch knobs
• Two large oatmeal containers
• Two large craft sticks
• Corrugated cardboard
• Craft knife
• Hot glue gun

Play Kitchen Stove

1. Remove the handles from the nightstand. Measure the width of the nightstand's back. Use this measurement to cut a scrap piece of 1-by-6. This piece is your stove's back splash for the burner knobs. Lay the nightstand with the back facing up. Place the back splash, horizontally, on the top end of the nightstand back, extending past the end, half the back splash width. Evenly space and drill three pilot holes across the back of the back splash and through the nightstand. Drill wood screws in the holes to secure.

2. Sand the nightstand to rough up the surface to better accept paint. Clean the nightstand using a tack cloth to remove dirt and sanding dust. Remove the drawers. If they aren't removable, pull them out slightly so the inside edges of the drawer fronts can be painted. Paint the entire nightstand using white latex acrylic paint. Repeat with more coats for complete coverage.

3. Paint the handles using gray acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry and reattach the handles. Center and evenly space four traced circles, approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter, across the front of the back splash. A spice jar lid works well for this. Paint the circles gray. These are your stoves burner knobs. Trace a total of four burner circles, approximately 5 1/2 inches in diameter, on top of the stove in two rows of two. A large oatmeal container works well for this. Paint the circles gray.

Play Kitchen Pots and Pans

4. Cut three pieces of leftover wallpaper 5 3/4 inches wide by 13 inches long. Use a paint brush to apply craft glue to the outer surface of three small oatmeal containers. Wrap the wallpaper pieces around each container to decorate. Paint three 1-inch knobs with matching acrylic paint. Poke a hole through the center of each container lid using a nail. Place the knobs over the holes and attach from the inside with the knob screws. These are your play kitchen canisters.

5. Measure up 3 inches from the bottom of one large oatmeal container and mark a ring around it. Use scissors or a craft knife to cut along the line. The bottom of the container is your pot. Measure up 1 1/2 inches from the bottom of another large oatmeal container and cut. The bottom of the container is your skillet. Cut 3/4-inch horizontal slits a 1/2 inch below the top of the pot and the skillet. Paint the inside and outside of the pot and pan, using acrylic paints in the color of your choice. Paint two large craft sticks to match the pot and pan. Apply craft glue to one end of each craft stick. Push the glue ends into slit on the pots and pans for the handles.

6. Lay the oatmeal container lids on corrugated cardboard, and draw around them a 1/2 inch larger than the lids. Cut the circles out using a craft knife. Paint the tops, bottoms and edges of the circles with acrylic paint to match the pots. Lay the lids on leftover wallpaper and trace the lids. Cut out the wallpaper circles. Apply craft glue to the backs of the wallpaper circles and center them on one side of the corrugated circles. Center and hot glue the corrugated circles to the oatmeal container lids with the wallpaper circles on top. These are your pot and pan lids. Poke a hole through the center of each glued lid using a nail. Paint two knobs with matching acrylic paint and attach on the inside with the knob screws.