Engaging in pretend play is not only a fun and imaginative activity for children but also a valuable tool for their development. As a busy parent of preschoolers or elementary school-aged kids, you may be looking for creative ideas for pretend play that are easy to set up and use items you already have at […]
Halloween Pretend Play – Witch’s Workshop
October 4, 2019 by
This Witch’s Workshop is an easy way to foster lots of creative Halloween pretend play! You can use vinegar and baking soda to create potions, measure and weigh toy spiders, or read Halloween stories together for “research”. Here are a few ideas to create a spooktacular witch’s workshop of your own! To make a witch’s […]
Pretend Play Ideas for Halloween
October 6, 2017 by
These pretend play ideas for Halloween are sure to provide hours of imaginative playtime fun! These ideas are simple to set up and can be made using dollar store items or other supplies you probably already have on-hand. Lots of spooktacular creative play activities to explore! Here are 5 of our favorite pretend play ideas […]
How to Host a Stuffed Animal Sleepover
October 2, 2017 by
Disclosure: I’m sharing tips for hosting a stuffed animal sleepover, and this post is sponsored by our friends at Melissa & Doug. All opinions are my own. Stuffed animal sleepovers are one of the latest trends taking place in bookstores and libraries to encourage young children to read. The events combine creative play, story telling, […]
Free Paper House Template – Print and Play!
August 3, 2017 by
This free paper house template makes it easy to print and play! My kids loved decorating their paper houses and building them. Use this paper house template for whimsical home decor, or explore the many possibilities for imaginative playtime fun! Below you will find step by step instructions for making these adorable paper houses. To […]
Rainy Day Activity – Paper Pizza Parlor
July 23, 2017 by
This rainy day activity for kids is simple and easy to set up. This paper pizza parlor is the perfect way to indulge your stuffed animal friends to a special treat! The kids can help prepare the ingredients while developing early scissor skills. This rainy day activity is sure to foster lots of imaginative playtime […]
Pretend Paper Hair Salon for Kids
July 7, 2017 by
This pretend paper hair salon could keep the kids happily entertained for hours! During a recent visit to the craft store, Clara (age 8) spotted some foam heads. She had been wanting to create a pretend hair salon for some time, but I have a feeling this may only be the beginning of her crafting […]
Paper Tacos!
October 4, 2016 by
These paper tacos are a fun way to encourage lots of imaginative playtime fun! When I first set up this simple invitation to play, I completely underestimated how much fun my kids would have crafting up tacos. By the time they were done with this, they had made 23 paper tacos!! I left the table […]
Play Dough Pumpkin Pie Shop!
October 3, 2016 by
After making our own pumpkin spice play dough and a second batch of cinnamon play dough, the kids were ready to make a pretend pumpkin pie shop! Our house smelled like an Autumn café, and this activity kept the kids happily entertained for a long time. I love that they were able to practice some basic […]
Cardboard Crafts — Pretend Cookie Shop
July 23, 2015 by
On hot Summer days one of the last things I want to do is turn on the oven to bake cookies. Fortunately, simple cardboard crafts are a great alternative to baking! These pretend cardboard cookies are decorated with pretend icing that is light and fluffy and pretend sprinkles too! These cardboard cookies are all the fun of baking without the […]
St. Patrick’s Day Role Play
March 9, 2015 by
This idea for St. Patrick’s Day role play is festive and fun! Added bonus, you can easily sneak in some Math practice too. Welcome to the Clover Café! We serve the luckiest lunches you ever did see. With just a few items from the dollar store and a few of our favorite stuffed animal friends, […]
20 Ways to Play with Silks
May 20, 2014 by
Play silks are perfect for encouraging hours of imaginative play time fun because they can be easily made into several different things from costumes to props! Babies might enjoy a game of peek a boo with a play silk, while preschoolers might love to use a silk in a pot to stir up some pretend […]
Easiest. DIY Play Kitchen. EVER!!!
March 16, 2014 by
This is quite possibly the world’s easiest DIY play kitchen set EVER! All you need to make one is a sunny day, some sidewalk chalk, and some sidewalk or asphalt. Rainy days in the forecast? No worries, scroll down for a free printable version of this DIY play kitchen set for you to use indoors […]
No Cook Chocolate Scented Playdough Recipe
February 14, 2014 by
I wish you could have smelled my kitchen after making this no cook chocolate scented playdough! My kids absolutely loved this invitation to play pretend Valentine chocolate shop! If the kids are old enough to know not to put play dough into their mouths, you can make your own no cook chocolate scented playdough with […]
DIY Play Food — Cardboard Gingerbreadmen
December 11, 2013 by
Need a Winter boredom buster to keep the kids entertained indoors during frigid weather? Here’s a quick and easy set up for an invitation to create DIY play food (cardboard gingerbreadmen) that is sure to delight! For this set up, I used a gingerbreadmen cookie cutter to trace and cut out several gingerbreadmen. Then I […]
How to Play with Stuffed Animals
August 1, 2013 by
Do your kids own lots of stuffed animals? Wish your kids would play with their stuffed animals instead of letting them collect dust on the shelf? Looking for something fun to do on a rainy day?? For a fun time, create a disguise kit for pretend stuffed animal “spies”! You’ll want to change their appearance […]
How to Make Your Own Felt Pasta (Italy)
July 23, 2013 by
Here is a very quick and super easy project you can make for the kids to encourage plenty of creative playtime fun as we explore Italy on our Kids’ Culinary Passport series! Today, I’m sharing how to make pretend pasta (in this case, linguini) using common household items you may already have on-hand or could […]
DIY Pretend Food Round Up
February 23, 2013 by
Here are ten of our best handmade pretend food ideas that are easy to make, involve NO sewing, and are sure to inspire hours and hours of imaginative playtime fun!! These make great gifts for kids, and are inexpensive too. You may find them to be a bit addicting to make! Pretend Salad […]
