My kids have always loved playing pretend with food. It gives my inner Type-A Bronny heart palpitations (wasted food! all that mess!), but I can’t deny that food play is good solid fun. Plus, it gets me off the hook for having them help me prepare the real food –. I can only cook with kids so often before I want to put myself in the oven.
Luckily, the kids will spend all morning making a ‘feast’ then serving it up for lunch. All that is required from me are a few sprinkly dry goods from the pantry (think flour, oats, cocoa, sprinkles, cornflour, coconut, a couple of stray biscuits, etc) and my collection of plastic plates and cups.
Most weekends Badoo will also make food from playdough or paper and open a cafe. Last weekend we were treated to ‘kebabs’ (playdough lumps on pencils) and ‘biscuits’ (round pieces of paper with sprinkles drawn on). She’s done this since she was a little tot but these days requires real money for her pretend delicacies. She rakes in at least a dollar for a morning’s happy effort.
Let the kids go nuts with some playdough or flour, oats, cocoa and whatever else you have on hand in the pantry. You don’t need to give them very much. They will happily add in some dirt, leaves and other yummies to stretch the food as far as they can.
Are your kids fascinated with food preparation too and do you like my hot pink toenails that keep sneaking into these photos!??!
Let’s play!
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Jo @ CountryLifeExperiment says
My kids love making “potions” and pretend food from all the random plants around the place. They generally leave the soupy mess in a jar until it smells rank, and I have to empty it. But I still love them doing potions. They also collect animal skulls which they then paint and decorate, and then hang in the cubby they built at the bottom of our yard. Love their creativity, less thrilled about the 36 (!!) skulls hanging on our fence #countrykids.
Maxabella says
Ooh, I love the sound of those skulls. Very arty.
Erin says
My boys have spent all day playing and having tea parties, serving up mud ‘cakes’, ‘salads’ aka grass, petals and various vegetation, complete with ‘wine’ served in beer bottles. Am I the only one who feels uncomfortable to see my children ‘swigging’ from recycled beer bottles?
Maxabella says
It is rather disconcerting, but at least it’s not real beer?
Elisa @ With Grace & Eve says
Clever! Tea parties are a big hit here! We have loads of play food but I hadn’t thought about handing some of the real stuff their way. Looks like loads of fun X
Maxabella says
It can go for hours. The game has become more and more elaborate as the years go by.
Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
I love the idea of playing with real food and other “natural” materials. When I was a kid, this was one of my favourite play activities, I love making food as much now as I did then, only now it’s a bit more edible! Badoo has the best imagination – maybe we’ll see her on Junior Masterchef one of these days!
Kate says
Children are only young for such a short period of time so it’s great to let them explore and ‘go nuts’ in this way. Oh my gosh. I remember so clearly making a stew with state herbs and spices from our holiday house pantry. LOL Great memories that we laugh about now.