Tuesday Summer Tip #2

Tuesday Summer Tip #2
I have yet to meet a kid that doesn’t like playing with food in some form. We play Restaurant. This provides skills on many levels. I like using this game on days we are going to have leftovers for dinner.
Phase 1: Creating your menu
Construction paper
Old magazines
Pens/crayons
Glue stick or photo tabs (the double stick squares you mount photos with)
Go to the refridgerator and have the kids see what is POSSIBLE to be on the menu. They can then cut from the magazines or draw the food as menu item in the construction paper menu.
Make sure to include a discussion on what to name the restaurant. Also. . .try tearing the pictures out of the magazine. This is a skill many people forget to help a child learn. Tearing paper is safer than cutting and when you don’t’ have enough safety scissors to go around it is a good alternative.

Phase 2: Assign Duties in Restaurant & attire
Depending on how many kids you have. . .you can have
Wait Staff – Apron with pockets, small notepad & pencil
Cook – Apron with some kind of hat, Toque is good but a bandana can work as well or backwards baseball cap.
Busboy – The sell on this position is. . .they don’t have to work till the meal is done. They get to sit back and watch.

The Wait staff needs to set the table, complete with table cloth, napkins (can work on different napkin folds) salt & pepper etc.

The Cook has to be prepared to make the food when they get the order. Help with the Microwave is necessary but pays off in the end. The child learns safety and good judgement on when food is cooked or burnt.

Everyone gets to be a Patron at the Restaurant and order their food.

You can flow from this point to make your restaurant a success. Remember these tips.
1. I don’t have magazines laying around so I do a google search and snag photos off the internet and print them.
2. The child will gain great interest in going to restaurants with you. Allow them to gather ideas at the Real Restaurant and incorporate them in their play Restaurant.
3. Try a Dessert menu tray, like a real one, but put cookies, fruit ect.
4. My grandsons do not know how to read or write at this point, but they love this game and when friends come over they want to make them the patrons and show off their restaurant.
5. Older kids can learn to handle money in this scenario

Bon Appetite