Easy Pretend Play: Baking!
There's something about simple , imaginative play that I find absolutely irresistible, and the simpler - the better! What do I mean by simple? ... quick, easy, cheap, 'no-fuss' set ups with just enough to spur on kids' pretend play. B (3 years), has always loved cooking activities, and recently he and I had fun making cupcakes together - that is, real cupcakes in our real kitchen. When he announced the next morning that he wanted to make cupcakes again - I stupidly started explaining how we already had plenty of left over cupcakes, and that I had lots of other jobs to do (true story!) ... and that, my friends, was my "silly mama!" moment, because I quickly realised, he had no intention of actually making real cupcakes... and here's how his child-led activity idea oozed with imaginative play opportunities - quite simply!! 1. A couple of muffin trays and cupcake holders/cases were gathered (at B's request). That's it. No need for anything el...