Top 11 Pretend Play Toys | Natural Sustainable Play
In my Top 11 Pretend Play Toys, I will show you not only the top-selling pretend play toys on the market, but also why they are the best. I will touch on what pretend play is and why it’s important. Also, I will talk a little about the stages our little ones go through. I will then give my Top 11 Pretend Play Toys. They are all eco-friendly and made from my favorite sustainable toy company, PlanToys. I had them at the Top of my Sustainable Toys List. Almost all of the below toys were actually in the Top 25 for all of PlanToys sales. Pretend Play toys are trending and this is a wonderful thing.
What is pretend play?
Pretend play, also known as make-believe, is a loosely structured form of play that generally includes role-play, object substitution, and nonliteral behavior. Pretend play is a form of symbolic play where children use objects, actions, or ideas to represent other objects, actions, or ideas using their imaginations to assign roles to inanimate objects or people.
Why is pretend play important?
Pretend play is important for several reasons. Firstly, it teaches children to be creative to use an inanimate object to be a real working object in their minds. Secondly, Pretend play offers an opportunity to practice communication skills and play with others through role-play interaction. Thirdly, pretend playsets let kids try acting out different roles and occupations. Playsets such as the doctor set can help kids ease fears of going to real medical appointments. These pretend play kits also let kids get hands-on with equipment that they wouldn’t be able to play with in real life. Playsets such as the dentist can teach children how to properly brush and take care of their own teeth. Pretend toy sets have many different educational benefits.
At what age does a child start to pretend play?
Although development is different for every child, typically children start to pretend play during their Toddler Development at 18-24 months. My child development guide inspired by PlanToys breaks it down well. Fine Motor and Coordination Development – Support children in fine motor skill development and hand-eye coordination with wooden blocks, small sorting objects, and pretend-play toy sets like cutting wooden fruit and vegetables. Emotional Stimulation – Build excitement around imaginative free play with emotionally stimulating musical toys such as Solid Drum and Concertino.
Intellectual Stimulation – Encourage cognitive development through educational play with toys that require categorizing, comparing, counting, and ordering like Stacking Ring, Sort and Count Cups, Sorting Puzzle. Strengthen logical thinking and problem solving while helping children understand cause and effect relationships. Language Development – Assist kids in language development with toys that inspire communication and emotional awareness by playing through My First Camera with pretend play.
Children will continue developing and creating through pretend play throughout their childhood. My Top 11 Pretend Play Toys encourages our little ones to start developing their creativity. Pretend play sets aren’t typically put into the educational/learning toy category. However, pretend playsets are a perfect example of play-based learning and teach many valuable skills. Some skills for example learned are caring for others, communicating with conversation skills, safety with tools and equipment, and problem-solving.
My Top 11 Pretend Play Toys:
1. Sustainable Doctor Play Set | Pretend Play | 3451 PlanToys
- Diminish your little one’s fear of the doctor’s office with the PlanToys Sustainable Doctor Play Set. Introduce children to the tools that doctors use and let them become a doctor on their own! Roleplay as a pediatrician, check a fluffy friend’s heart rate, or monitor a sibling’s blood pressure. Your child’s imagination can run wild here!
- Crafted with planet-friendly rubberwood and stained with non-toxic water-based dyes the playset’s pieces are free from sharp edges and toxic chemicals.
- Help children understand the importance of doctors and health practitioners. As they gain knowledge surrounding medical equipment and their purposes they’ll start to see the doctor’s office as a less scary and more inviting place!
- Promote fine motor skills and cognitive development boost hand-eye coordination and encourage little ones to practice communicating properly with family and friends while using new vocabulary and language.
- 5 pieces of medical equipment – including a stethoscope blood pressure monitor thermometer syringe reflex hammer and handy red soft cotton case. Suitable for children 3 years and older.
2. Makeup Playset|Pretend Play | PlanToys (3487)
- Safe alternative to chemical-laden play makeup for children.
- Children enjoy pretending to be their mom and applying makeup without using the real stuff and avoiding harsh chemicals! The PlanToys Pretend Play Makeup Set includes all the cosmetics needed by a child to entertain themselves creatively and mimic mom. The playset includes a mirror, a brush, 5 pieces of cosmetics, and an adjustable belt to hold everything. The budding makeup artist will enjoy putting makeup on themselves, family members, friends, or their dolls.
- 8 piece makeup set includes a mirror, brush, eye shadow set, lipstick, compact, perfume, liner, and an adjustable waist bag
- The cotton bag ties around a child’s waist to hold the cosmetics like a makeup artist. A great place for storage.
- Children love to copy adults and this is a safe way for young children to role-play adults without using harsh cosmetics.
- Teaches fine and gross motor skills and provides hours of creative play. Suitable for children 3 years and up.
- Sustainably crafted from chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, water-based dyes, and safety tested.
- Child Development Focus: Coordination, Fine Motor, Imagination, Language and Communications, and Social.
3. Hair Dresser Set | Pretend Play | PlanToys 3492
- Pretend to be a hairstylist with this hairdresser set! Includes scissors, hairdryer, comb, straightener, hair clipper, and a waist bag. Kids will enjoy creating hairstyles on themselves, family members, friends, or their dolls.
- Suitable for children 3 years and up.
- Sustainably crafted from chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, water-based dyes, and safety tested.
Child Development Focus: Coordination, Emotion, Creative, Imagination, Language and Communications, Social.
4. Pet Vet Set | Pretend Play | PlanToys 3490
- Teaches compassion toward animals and has hands-on experience with vet tools.
- Encourage your children to be empathetic and learn how to treat animals with this Pet Vet Set. It consists of 3 basic pieces of medical equipment, a vaccine bottle, a bandage, a collar, 2 x-ray films, and a handy doctor bag.
- Teaches fine and gross motor skills and provides hours of creative play.
- Suitable for children 3 years and up. Sustainably crafted from chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, water-based dyes, and safety tested.
- Child Development Focus: Coordination, Emotion, Creative, Imagination, Language and Communications, Social.
5. Dentist Set | Pretend Play | PlanToys 3493
- Learn how to take care of their own teeth by brushing.
- Makes going to the dentist less scary since kids get familiar with dental tools.
- Pretend to be a real dentist! This set teaches children at a young age to understand the importance of tooth care. This Dentist Set includes 4 basic dental tools, 1 toothbrush, 1 set of teeth with 3 spare teeth, and 1 doctor case.
- Suitable for children 3 years and up. Sustainably crafted from chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, water-based dyes, and safety tested.
- Child Development Focus: Coordination, Fine Motor, Creative, Imagination, Language, and Communications, Social.
Dentist Set | Pretend Play | PlanToys 3493 
Dentist Set | Pretend Play | PlanToys 3493
6. Firefighter Play Set |Pretend Play | PlanToys (3708) |
- Firefighters are our everyday heroes!
- This playset invites children to explore the daily duties of a real firefighter.
- The set features an adjustable helmet and jacket, megaphone, fire extinguisher, water hose, flashlight, hatchet, and walkie-talkie.
- Tackle nearby emergencies and discover what it’s like to be a real fireman!
- Suitable for children 3 years and up.
- A hard-to-find plastic-free/PVC-free fireman set. Sustainably crafted from chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, water-based dyes, and safety tested.
- Child Development Focus: Coordination, Creative, Imagination, Language, and Communication, Social, Emotion
7. Surgeon Set | Pretend Play | PlanToys 3703
- Unique pretend play set great for older kids and kids preparing for a surgical procedure
- Roleplay as a surgeon and learn about the human body with the Surgeon Set! This playset includes a fabric piece labeled with different organs (the bronchus, lungs, heart with a beep button, stomach with a piece of food inside, liver, and kidneys) and a personalized patient’s card with vocabulary inside that can be used for realistic pretend to play with dolls and stuffed friends. There is also a storage bag to house the included medical equipment (a scalpel, forceps, cotton buds, surgical drape, medical mask, suction device, and PlanWood™ tray). Develop fine motor skills, logical thinking and problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination, and more with this unique kit!
- Suitable for children 3 years and older. Sustainably crafted from chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, water-based dyes, and safety tested
- Child Development Focus: Coordination, Emotion, Imagination, Social
8. Toy Vlogger Kit | Pretend Play | PlanToys 3706
- A modern pretend play set of a new trending career in social media
- A vlogger (video blogger) is one of the top career choices that many of today’s kids aspire to be! Designed to encourage children to showcase their artistic talent, this toy vlogger kit playset encourages the practice of communication skills and creative thinking. The set comes with a camera, ring light made from rubber, clip-on microphone with an adaptor, and selfie stick tripod. Also, a bag is included for easy transportation.
- Suitable for children 3 years and older. Sustainably crafted from chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, water-based dyes, and safety tested.
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Child Development Focus: Coordination, Creative, Languages & Communication, Emotion, Imagination, Social
9. Secret Agent Play Set |Pretend Play | PlanToys (3705)
- A unique age-appropriate special agent playset with a working fingerprint scanner, ruler, and special agent badge that opens
- Roleplay as a secret agent with this fully equipped playset that includes an ID badge, finger scanner, walkie-talkie handset, L-shaped scale, and coloring comic (a printable file is also available for online download).
- Children can bring this secret agent play set with them wherever they go, as it comes with a utility belt that can keep all gadgets safe inside!
- Teaches fine and gross motor skills and provides hours of creative play.
- Suitable for children 3 years and up. Sustainably crafted from chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, water-based dyes, and safety tested.
- Child Development Focus: Coordination, Creative, Imagination, Language, Communication, Social, Emotion
10. Detective Set | Pretend Play | PlanToys 3701
- PRETEND PLAY: We are in need of a detective! Are you willing to solve the case? This realistic playset comes with a detective bag, pair of glasses, camera, periscope, walkie-talkie, newspaper, and red lens for decoding. Use the red lens to find hidden clues in the newspaper!
- SUPPORTS DEVELOPMENT: Not only do children develop their problem-solving and logical thinking skills, but they also enhance their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills while playing. Language and communication development are also supported as children pretend-play and interact with others to solve the mystery! Suitable for children 3 years and older.
- Sustainably crafted from chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, water-based dyes, and safety tested
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Child Development Focus: Coordination, Fine Motor, Creative, Imagination, Language, and Communication, Social
11. Wooden Baby Feeding Set | Pretend Play | PlanToys (3499)
- Teaches kids to be nurturing, and compassionate, and to take care of others
- Perfect to prepare a child for the upcoming birth of a sibling
- It’s feeding time! This Doll Feeding Set comes with a bag, which can be hung on a stroller, a food-storage container, a spoon, a bib, a water bottle, and a feeding bottle.
- The set helps children to develop a sense of love and care through role-play.
- Suitable for children 2 years and older.
- Child Development Focus: Social, Imagination, Language & Communication, Fine Motor, Coordination
Final Thoughts:
3 Reasons to choose PlanToys for babies, toddlers, boys, and girls!
Firstly, they are passionate about child safety. They pay close attention to the safety standards of their production process. All of their materials are non-toxic and environmentally friendly so parents can let their children play without worry. Secondly, they help children develop. Every parent wants to see their child successfully grow and develop. Also, they believe that creative and educational play can help them do this! By playing with their educational toys, children learn and evolve in a variety of ways. Thirdly, they care about the environment. They believe that a quality environment will give rise to quality individuals. Also, at PlanToys, they use water-based colors that are chemical-free, E-Zero glue that doesn’t contain formaldehyde, and they maximize resource utilization by using leftover sawdust to create a new sustainable material called PlanWood™.
PlanToys Sustainable Mission:
“Since 1981, our mission has been to create a more sustainable world. We carefully consider the environment and society when it comes to our business practices. We also focus on safety standards and child development in the production process. Additionally, by applying innovative eco-friendly manufacturing methods and using green materials, we help pave a sustainable path for our children. And in turn, doing our part to protect the beautiful ecosystems and environments that inhabit our planet.” Also, to learn more, please read more about PlanToys Sustainable Mission HERE or to learn more about our favorite sustainable companies, Click HERE.
Conclusion:
There are many more great options from PlanToys and by all means, this is not a complete list. I’ve provided you with some solid examples of my top 11 pretend toys from a trusted sustainable toy company. All of the toys listed are of heirloom quality, have educational value, and provide family interaction. PlanToys is at the top of my list in terms of heirloom quality, safety, and educational benefit. See my brand spotlight post on PlanToys to read more about this award-winning brand. These aforementioned toys will provide years of open-ended play that is kid-powered. When you choose sustainable wooden toys instead of your typical plastic battery-powered electronic toys, your kids will engage in play in a different and better way!
