Christmas Gifts for Kids in Kenya: One Big Gift the Whole Family Plays With

When should you order for Christmas delivery in Kenya?

The right day to order for Christmas delivery depends on your town, because Nairobi delivery takes up to 3 hours and courier delivery to other towns takes up to 24 hours. Working back from Christmas Eve gives the dates below. Ordering a few days earlier gives you time to collect from a busy courier office.

Earlier is fine too. Tell us the date you want the set, and we confirm on WhatsApp whether it can arrive that day.

Why does a kitchen set make a good big family gift?

A kitchen set makes a good big family gift because it gives several children a game to share, all in one place. One child stirs the pot, another answers the phone and a third sets the table. So the same children play as a team rather than queueing for one toy.

The set is made for ages 3 to 8, so a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old can both use it this Christmas.

Which Christmas games can children play at the kitchen?

• Cooking a pretend Christmas lunch with the play food in the box
• Baking a Christmas cake in the oven for the whole family
• Phoning aunts and uncles to invite them to the meal
• Running a Christmas café for visitors, with a menu drawn on paper
• Washing up at the sink once the guests have eaten

Games like these give visiting relatives a part to play too. A grandparent makes a patient first customer.

Keeping the gift a secret until Christmas morning

A boxed kitchen set is hard to hide in a busy home. Having it delivered to an office, a neighbour or a grandparent's house keeps it out of sight. Then bring it home on Christmas Eve, after the children are asleep.

On the night, get the kitchen ready and fill the pots with play food. A ribbon around the fridge door is all the wrapping it needs, and the children see the whole kitchen the moment they walk in.

If you are travelling home for Christmas

Send the set ahead to the courier office nearest your parents' home, and it is there when you arrive. Our delivery guide for every Kenyan town explains how courier delivery and payment work.

What goes well with the kitchen set under the tree?

Small extras from home or any shop make the kitchen feel complete on Christmas morning. None of them are needed to start playing, because the pots, utensils and play food are already in the box. Still, a few simple additions give the first game a festive feel for the whole family.

• A child-sized apron for each cook
• Plastic plates for the Christmas lunch table
• A small basket for pretend shopping
• A notebook for writing the restaurant menu

For gift ideas at every age and budget, read our Christmas gift guide for kids in Kenya. For a birthday later in the year, our birthday gift ideas by age work the same way.