How to Play Restaurant with Kids

You wrack your brain for new play ideas that can be interactive, educational and fun all at the same time. If your kids are like most, they will likely enjoy playing "restaurant" with you. With a few play items and a little creativity, you can make this activity both fun and educational for your children.

Things You'll Need

  • Aprons or tuxedo shirts
  • Small trays
  • Small pads of paper
  • Pencils
  • Table and chairs, either child or adult size
  • Flatware and dishes, either real or play
  • Various foods, either real or play
  • Play menus
  • Dolls or stuffed animals (optional)

Instructions

    • 1

      Dress your children in the proper attire of a server. If you have basic aprons, these will suffice. If you are aiming for a fine-dining scenario, used tuxedo shirts are a great choice. Small pads of paper complete with pencils will make last-minute order pads. Trays can be any round, flat household item, such as large plates, old silver trays or even the upside-down flat lids that fit your pots and pans.

    • 2

      Type or write out a menu on a heavy weight paper and print out enough copies, complete with pricing for all of the "customers." Embellish them with pictures of the lunch or dinner items. If there are enough children available, give the children supporting roles, such as chef, cashier, hostess and busboy.

    • 3

      Pose as a customer so your children can practice their serving skills. Serve real or pretend food, depending on what is available and what you approve of. Encourage the children to go through the entire process of the restaurant experience -- greeting and seating guests, taking the order, serving beverages, presenting the food and clearing the table. Last, but not least, present the bill and pay for the meal and service with pretend coins and bills.

    • 4

      Use these role-playing restaurant activities to assist your children with eating foods they don't like -- use fresh fruits and vegetables during the course of play to make it fun and engaging. This is also an excellent game to teach your youngsters how to deal with money and the value of the dollar. This can be an educational activity if your child needs language practice. Exposing her to proper dining etiquette through your own actions will guide her as to how to conduct herself properly at the table, both at home and away. The most important aspect of playing restaurant is learning how to work with others as a team.

    • 5

      Make the experience fun by using your children's favorite foods and beverages. Enlist their help in planning the menu and setting the table with small or toy dishes. If your children are very young, allow them to include their favorite dolls and stuffed animals in the festivities. Don't forget to add sweet dessert selections that everyone will enjoy.

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