noun
playing house
A children's game where participants pretend to be family members and imitate domestic activities, especially cooking and serving meals.
子供たちは庭でままごとをして遊んでいる。
The children are playing house in the garden.
ままごと用の小さなキッチンセットを買った。
I bought a small kitchen set for playing house.
ごっこ遊び is a broader term for any pretend play (e.g., 電車ごっこ), while ままごと specifically refers to playing house.
Derived from まま (飯, cooked rice) + ごと (事, thing/act), literally 'rice thing', referring to the imitation of cooking and serving meals. The exact historical development is uncertain.