More Pretend Play Ideas! Postman Fun, Be a Gardener and Pipe Like a Pastry Chef!

Pretend play is always loads of fun, and it is one of the best ways to learn! :) So in this post, I would like to share a few more pretend play ideas C and I did together:

1. Postman Fun!
2. Be a Gardener!
3. Pipe Like a Pastry Chef!

Postman Fun!

C has always been curious about how a letter is mailed out, and here we have created an activity that allowed her to have fun while she:

1. Practised writing
2. Learnt about the layout - Recipient, Mailing Address and Postage Stamp
3. Recognized numbers and matched street names

C started off by choosing 6 of her favourite toys to send the letters to. She wrote down their names on the blank spaces of the envelopes, and also helped to attach the postage stamps and mailing addresses.

Meanwhile, I set up the street names and house numbers in various parts of the house. I used old envelopes to be makeshift "mailboxes" where the letters can be slotted in.

When C was done with addressing all the envelopes, she was ready to take on her role of being the postman (she corrected me that she's a postlady)! Haha. :)

C all ready to deliver the letters!

C took on the task seriously, looking carefully at the mailing addresses, and delivering the letters to their various locations. C now knows that a postman's job is extremely important, because if the letters are not delivered correctly, the letter will not reach the recipient.

I've included a free printable here: Postman Fun! :)

Be A Gardener

C also pretended to be a gardener today! This little pretend play activity allowed C to:

- Learn to recognize different types of flowers
- Practise counting
- Practise her fine motor skills (by sticking the flowers to their "stems", and by planting them into the little flower pots)

We used mini straws as the stems of the flowers, paper cushion as soil, and three containers to act as flower pots.

C counted the number of hibiscus, roses and sunflowers she had to plant.

Thereafter, I also placed the bee and butterfly cut-outs onto a few of the flowers, while C searched and counted the number of bees and butterflies.

C had so much fun! :)

If you are keen on this pretend play activity, here's the free printable: Be a Gardener! :)

Pipe like a Pastry Chef!

 

Recently, I started on a cake decorating course, and as I had some leftover icing from one of my classes, I decided to let C have some fun in the kitchen! C was given:

- a piping bag of icing (we added pink food colouring) 

- a practice board with a smooth, transparent sheet (so the icing can be easily scraped off)

- a sheet of lowercase alphabets  

C did an excellent job piping alphabets!

C also had fun designing her own flower, complete with a stem and a leaf! :)

It's amazing what kids can come up with when they have a chance to use adult tools! :)

You can find some affordable piping tools from Daiso, and even if you don't have a practice board, you can utilize waxed paper or parchment paper over a sheet of alphabets.

If you happen to be baking some cakes or cookies that require icing, here's a simple icing recipe, that your kids can have some fun with too:

- 1.5 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 25g softened butter
- 1 tablespoon milk / water
- optional, food colouring

Mix well with whisk, till all ingredients are combined into a smooth mixture.
You may wish to add more milk / water if the mixture is too thick.

So there you go, hope you and your kids have fun while learning! :)
Meanwhile, do check out our related post on Pretend Play:

Pretend Play and Learn!