There's nothing quite like good old fashioned imaginative play to get children away from a screen, help them build new skills and keep them busy for a few hours.
Parents across the UK will no doubt have heard of mud kitchens - a children's toy that's increased in popularity over the last couple of years.
Designed to be, well, ridiculously messy, kids can play with mud, water, grass and whatever else they can find around the garden to make as many lotions and potions as they can dream up.
If you've thought about buying your child a mud kitchen, you'll know all too well the one drawback - they're expensive. Some can set you back hundreds of pounds, which not all of us can manage on a monthly budget.
However, you'll be glad to know that supermarket giant Aldi has saved the day, releasing a brilliant mud kitchen for just £54.99. It comes in two colours, grey and brown, and has received hundreds of rave reviews so far.
Want to get your hands on it? Shop the online exclusive below
www.aldi.co.uk
www.aldi.co.uk
Reviewers have been loving the mud kitchen so far, with one writing, "[The] mud kitchen is beautifully made, looks great and [brings] hours of fun. My two-year-old absolutely loves it. She loves being muddy. Would highly recommend. Comes with extras so even better that the pots and pans are included. Looks super good in the garden and it’s somewhere she can play by herself and use her imagination. Grass soup and rainwater stew are her most popular dishes! ALDI Thank you so much for making my daughter so wonderfully happy! 5 stars all the way."
Another exclaimed, "My girls love this mud kitchen. It took about an hour to put together but was easy enough and looks really lovely. It comes with accessories and the chalkboards and plant pots are a nice touch."
Some customers have commented that it's a little difficult to put together, but let's be honest, the perseverance is worth it to see the smiling faces of your tots once it's all done.
If £54.99 is a little out of your budget and you're not sure if your kids will play with it, this colourful TP Mud Kitchen may be better suited, at just £34.99.
www.aldi.co.uk
According to Mother&Baby, messy play is brilliant for your child's development: "Not only will problem-solving help to grow their brain, but it’ll also provide them with lots of opportunities to refine motor skills. Language skills will improve too – because how can kids know what the word ‘slimy’ really means unless they feel the sensation for themselves? And children's imagination will benefit because while a toy that produces music can only be played one way, a tub of goo creates infinite possibilities."
With warmer weather ahead, it's the perfect time to treat the kids to a mud kitchen.
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Jade Moscrop is the Deputy Editor for WhatsTheBest, specialising in lifestyle topics. She also writes for Closer, Heat, and Mother&Baby.
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