Cafe pretend play
Pretend play is really good for children and what better pretend play session, than for them to have their very own cafe? It is great for learning, imagination, role play, communication, social skills, writing, numbers, cooking, food, just to name a few things.
We invited two friends round for lunch in our cafe. Before they arrived, we prepared the menu, BB wrote it out and put it in a photo frame (very cheap from Ikea). It looked very effective as a menu. We stuck to simple things, which included:
- Ham sandwich
- Cheese sandwich
- Banana sandwich
- Side order of tomatoes, cucumber sticks, carrot sticks
- Worm in mud pudding
- Yoghurt
- Fruit
- Ice cream
- Water
- Apple squash
- Orange juice
- Tea/coffee (for the adults)
BB suggested most of this menu, I know you wouldn’t normally get banana sandwiches in a cafe, or worm pudding come to that!
We brought the kids picnic table in from the garden and set the table with a cloth etc. Placed the menu on there. We got our till ready with some money and a notepad to write down everyones orders.
When their friends arrived, they all sat at the table and read the menu. BB and his friend Em took the orders, then came into the kitchen to make all the sandwiches. BB loved wearing his chefs costume making the play all the more real and fun.
BB and Em did very well making the lunches, I was very impressed with their sandwich making skills. The sandwiches were cut into shapes using cookie cutters, to make them more interesting.
The lunches were served well, without dropping any on the floor, which is always a relief.
Next they cleared the tables and took the orders for pudding. Everyone wanted worm pudding which made things easier. I made the puddings for them to serve, as it would have been a little difficult for the children to make. I must admit it was definitely a hit!
Once everyone had finished, the bill was added up and all the customers had to pay for their meals. This was a good learning opportunity in lots of ways, numbers, adding up, role play etc.
We all had a good time in the cafe with lots of fun, yummy food, play and learning all at the same time. It was not the quickest of activities to set up as a parent, but it was worth the effort.
Looks like fun wish I had been a customer.
Aww! How lovely! That looks like a lot of fun!
Thanks, we did all enjoy it
Cute idea. My littles love ‘cooking’ and serving, too!
Thanks, it is a great activity
I hope they did the washing up too
Lol! I must admit, the dishwasher did that
This is great
My 7yo loves to make lunch and he does this, writing a menu and taking orders! Lovely x
It is such a great activity