The Best Vet Set For Kids

Buying Guide

Young children, especially toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners, love playing pretend. Using their imagination, kids can be whatever or whoever they want to be, and this opens up a world of possibilities for them. It’s not only entertaining, but also educational and developmental in many ways. In order to encourage kids to use their imaginations, offer them toys that make it easy to play pretend. One of the most popular things kids want to be are vets, because they get to take care of cute puppies and kittens.

There are many different types of vet sets of kids. Look for one that is age appropriate but that can also grow with your child. The tools in the set should resemble actual vet tools, but should also be versatile so kids can use them in different ways. For example, a headlamp is something they can wear while “performing surgeries,” as well as when they are pretending to be a miner and “digging for gold”.

Consider what types of pieces are included in the vet set for kids. For example, will your child want little hand-held tools or a large playset that has shelves and cupboards like they’d find in a vet exam room? Some vet kits come with little stuffed animals kids can take care of, and some also include pet carriers for kids to transport their little pets to and from the vet.

Keep in mind that most vet sets for kids come with many pieces, so it can be hard to keep everything organized and tidy. Check to see whether the kit comes with a bag for all of the small tools. If not, you may want to grab a transparent bin to house all of the vet items so they are easy to find when kids want to play.

• One of the major benefits for kids when playing pretend, such as they do with vet sets, is that it allows them to further develop their communication and language skills. Parents and caregivers can further enable children by helping them learn the words of each of the tools, such as “stethoscope” and “scalpel.” While kids may have trouble saying complex words right away, they will be able to understand what each item is when you show them how to use it, and will mimic the actions they see you doing.
• Ask children open-ended questions while they are playing pretend to help them become more familiar with real-life scenarios. For example, “This kitty is feeling sick. What do you think is wrong?” This enables kids to work up a number of scenarios as they use their vet tools to figure out the problem.  Be sure not to ask too many leading questions in order to give kids the opportunity to figure it out for themselves.
• Vet sets for kids provide children with a great opportunity to socialize with others. Whether it’s kids their own age, older or younger siblings and friends, or grownups and caregivers, kids can have conversations, learn to share and play with others in their world of pretend.
• Playing with a vet set is a great way to disguise learning into fun. Not only can parents teach children about the different tools in the kit, but they can also work on colors, counting and different letter sounds. For example, kids can identify what color each tool is or find six tools and put them into a group together. Parents can ask them to find a tool that begins with an “s” sound for example, as well.