If your tot is anything like ours, you’ll know that little ones love food – they love eating it, playing with it, and making food themselves (and, you know, making a mess, too). And while your mom might have taught you not to play with your food, we’d like to politely disagree – playing with food, like these food toys, sets kids up for a lifetime of food knowledge and healthier food choices.

As always, the key to early education is role playing. Pretend play helps to develop speech, logical thinking and decision-making skills and through food toys, kids are able to “cook,” “serve” and of course, “eat”! They learn about food and its role in socializing and health, and they learn to make the best choices when it comes to mealtimes. Food toys are also wonderful for developing fine and gross motor skills and give your tot the opportunity to learn new words in a fun and engaging way. And you never know – if you’re really lucky, your tot might be the next Alice Waters.

12 of our favorite food toys

When choosing toys, we ensure that all they are manufactured in an eco-friendly and sustainable manner using only the safest, highest quality materials. Our toys are free of BPA, Formaldehyde, Phatalates, Lead or harmful chemicals or dyes. Our toys are not only beautiful but they are also designed to last.

1. Hape Garden Salad: This innovatively designed set encourages healthy food choices while incorporating imaginative role play and storytelling. Encourage your little one to make a delicious and nutritious salad with this cute fabric and wooden salad set. Healthy eating never seemed so fun!
2. Hape Double Flavored Birthday Cake: Fact: tots are obsessed with birthdays. Let yours celebrate year-round with this cute cake – made entirely from non-toxic materials. This yummy looking treat is also great for increasing child’s math skills through fraction practice and ratio developing skills. Count the slices of cake, the number of fruit toppings and candles.
3. Hape Sushi Selection: With toy nigiri, maki and even wasabi and soy sauce, this sushi set is just like the real thing! Young chefs can prepare, serve, and enjoy a sophisticated sushi dinner with all of the staples: sushi, wasabi, soy sauce, chopsticks, and a serving tray.
4. Green Toys Sandwich Shop: Let your little one’s imagination run wild with this stacking play sandwich-making set. With bread slices, tomato, lettuce, onion and more, there are no limits! Each realistic part is made in the USA from food-safe, 100% recycled plastic milk containers which save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Plan Toys Breakfast Menu: Encouraging creativity and imagination, this set brings new meaning to the term “big breakfast”! With eggs, toast, bacon and more, it’s everything your little one needs to serve you “breakfast in bed”.
6. Plan Toys Food and Beverage Set: If your tot is ready to play shop, set them up with this mini grocery. With a milk carton, bottle of juice and a jar of honey – among other things – it’ll get them ready to run their own empire!
7. Hape Gourmet Fridge: The Rolls Royce of food role play and active storytelling, this fridge even features an “ice dispenser”! Perfect for little ones who love getting in the kitchen.
8. Hape Gourmet Grill with Food: Does your tot live for game day – but only for the hot dogs?! Give them their own mini-grill and let them run wild. This set even features “ketchup” and “mustard” – too cute.
9. Hape Gourmet Kitchen: Made from wood sourced from environmentally sustainably sourced forests, this durable play kitchen will delight your tot for years to come and encourage them to develop their creative thinking and fine motor skills while practicing basic cooking techniques. It might even encourage them to become a junior Masterchef…
10. Camden Rose Good Wood Eggs: Straight from “Camden Rose Farms” this set of 6 wooden, hen-sized eggs are a fun introduction to play food! They come in a recyclable egg carton and the unfinished, natural wood can be polished to add luster and to protect the wood.
11. Hape Healthy Basics: There’s no better way to teach your kids than through role play – especially when it comes to healthy eating. This set of healthy basics – eggs, cheese, milk and yoghurt among them – will encourage your kids to make healthy choices.
12. Hape Gourmet Kitchen Starter Set: The perfect addition to any little kitchen, this will get your tot “cooking” up a storm in no time! The high-quality, wooden set includes a pot and pan, plates, utensils, and even salt and pepper to season, making it the perfect addition to any play kitchen where little bakers and chefs are at work.