A Pretend Snack Bar

I can’t think of anything my girls like better than a pretend play setup, unless it’s a messy craft project.

We’ve made forts, stores, and even a zoo in our living room. Recently, we decided to create our own snack bar.

We were following a suggestion from Let’s Explore on their Ways to Play in October printout (yes, we are a few months behind). Each month Let’s Explore offers a new printout with about 10 fun ways to play. We print it out every month. It’s great to have around when we need new ideas for something to do!

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Our snack bar set-up was simple. I gave Lizzie the wood crate and asked her to go through all of her play food and find some items that she thought would be good to sell at a snack bar.

She picked out nine different things, which turned out to be the perfect amount. We then decided we needed plates, cups, a bowl and spoon, and a few napkins.

We constructed the bar by setting a wood trunk across two chairs.

After we had that set up, we made a sign and the menu. I wrote out the name of each of the foods, and then drew a picture next to each.

Since neither of my girls can read, I wanted them to use the pictures for reference. The girls then took their crayons and decorated everything.

They had a blast playing snack bar!

The girls would take turn being the “chef” or the customer. They would pour over the menu, make their selection, then have a seat at the table. The “chef” would then come serve the food.

I was impressed by my 2-yr-old’s ability to remember the orders. They even managed to rope Mommy into playing with them several times!

We’ve had a lot of fun with this, and I’m sure we will set it up again soon!

What kind of pretend play does your child enjoy?