BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

JULY 9, 2022

“Don’t play with your food!” is a common mum-phrase during mealtimes, but during playtime, a ‘fingers-on-food’ approach is actually a great thing to encourage.  

Pretend play has lots of benefits for your developing preschooler, and selling, serving and savouring pretend food gets their imagination going and provides fun opportunities to practise serious skills.   

The experts at Bright Horizons say pretend play teaches young children how to, “Solve problems, coordinate, cooperate, and think flexibly.”  

And counting, communicating, sharing and turn-taking all comes into play when your little one is organising their supermarket, running their kiddie café, or simply plating up a plastic carrot for Mum.   

From where you sit, there’s an opportunity to share positive food messages around healthy eating and cultural awareness, and you give your child an emotional boost when you invest in their imaginings, play along, and eat that plastic carrot like it’s the best thing since sliced sourdough!  

If you need to stock up on play food, there are lots of yummy-looking sets for sale.  

All the food groups are covered – with faux fruit, veg, meat, dairy and grains available in timber, fabric, cardboard and plastic – and some sets are extra special. 

For instance, The Freckled Frog's indigenous bush tucker set is a great introduction to First Nations food, Melissa & Doug's cutting fruit crate hones fine motor skills and teaches fractions, and all of Juni Moon’s felt treats look good enough to eat (seriously!). 

However, there’s also the option of making your own play food.  

If you’re looking to reduce your food miles and get a bit creative, it’s actually pretty easy to make some morsels at home using a few low-cost or no-cost supplies from the pantry, craft box and/or recycling bin. 

Just be aware that small decorations, like beads and buttons, can be a choking risk for young children, and no matter how delish your pretend food looks, it’s not for nibbling! 

For starters, here are three ideas that will go down well on the DIY kids’ menu: 

1. Play dough pizza  

Play dough is quick and easy to make, and in your preschooler’s hands, it can be rolled, pressed and poked into a brilliant pizza base.  

There’s the option of adding red- and yellow-coloured dough for the tomato paste and cheese, with a sprinkle of real leaves for some basil.  Or they can go to town with pom-pom ‘tomatoes’, pasta shell ‘cheese,’ and whatever kid-safe craft toppings take their fancy.  

A salad of torn-up green paper and some wholegrain garlic bread makes a nice accompaniment, and don’t forget dessert!  

Play dough cookies and cupcakes are a decorator’s delight, and a touch of cocoa will add an irresistibly chocolately colour and scent to your basic ball of dough.  

2. Cardboard cake 

To indulge your fam’s sweet tooth a little further, consider making some colourful pieces of cake from upcycled cardboard and bubble wrap, painted in all the ways.  

This tutorial takes you through the steps, and if a sponge cake is more your kiddo’s flavour, this recipe, using cleaning sponges, fits the bill.  

Mr Maker’s fake cake is also ‘sponge-a-licious, with a cherry on top,’ and an older child can mostly make this on their own.   

3. Felt fruit 

Now, back to the healthy stuff!  

Fresh fruit is full of goodness, and felt fruit has plenty of upsides, too.  

This fabric is soft and colourful, with a no-fray edge, and although we can all aspire to making a fruit salad of plump, perfect felt pieces, it’s a-ok to start simple.  

Your little one will be happy with some basic shapes cut out and glued (in the style of these apple and watermelon slices), and if you have a sewing kit, and know how to use it, these designs for super cute felt fruit are definitely worth working up to.  

These fake food recipes are just the beginning, though.  

There are crateloads of sweet and savoury pretend food ideas on the interwebs (including this classic recipe for pantyhose potatoes!), and the really fun bit is coming up with your own creations, guided by your child’s interests and the supplies you have at hand. 

If you’re loving the DIY, you might be inspired to make a cardboard cash register or play kitchen to really deep dive into pretend play, but if all else fails, a cut-out carrot and a cup of imaginary tea is all your kiddo needs to make a marvellous make-believe meal.  

Bon appétit!