Put our pretend play food toys front and center for your kids'
next summer playdate!
It’s summer time, but the learning fun doesn’t have to end, especially when kids practice important skills through pretend play with Melissa & Doug toys.
If summer playdates are on your schedule over the coming weeks, consider having some of our top-selling pretend play toys on hand, especially for groups of kids playing together. Our pretend play toys invite younger kids to begin engaging in parallel play—playing alongside one another without necessarily interacting—while school-aged kids can practice cooperative play and work towards shared goals and storytelling.
Pretend play makes for great practice of real-world skills that young kids will need to develop before going off to preschool and beyond. Pretend play not only promotes gross & fine motor skills, it boosts cognitive development by allowing kids to practice their creative expression, storytelling & narrative abilities, and imagination.
To help make your summer playdates a success gathering, we’ve curated a selection of top pretend play toys for kids that will make great centerpieces for the kids’ planned get-togethers. Scroll on to learn more about our top pretend play toys to consider for your kiddos’ next summer playdate!
10 Top Pretend Play Food Toys Perfect for Summer Playdates
Top & Bake Pizza Counter - Wooden Play Food
Summer Playdate Fun: Mama mia, it’s pizza time! Create fresh-baked pizza, made to order, with this deliciously unique 41-piece pizza making set. Pieces stick together with self-stick tabs and can be sliced with the rolling wooden cutter.
Skills at Play: Great for developing counting, sorting, imaginative play, storytelling, and fine motor skills.
Deluxe Grill & Pizza Oven Play Set
Summer Playdate Fun: Fire up pretend play fun with this perfectly kid-sized wooden barbecue grill, smoker, and pizza oven play set! Budding young kid chefs will love creating make-believe barbecue favorites like steak, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, corn -- and even play pizza! After mealtime, the more than 60 accessories and play food pieces all store neatly on the grill and storage shelf for easy clean-up.
Skills at Play: Promotes hand-eye coordination, sorting and counting skills, and imaginative play.
Slice & Stack Sandwich Counter
Summer Playdate Fun: Create piled-high sandwiches, made to order with this wooden sandwich counter play set with all the fixings! The sturdy wooden deli counter includes a play meat and cheese slicer for the wooden play food, and felt sandwich roll and toppings to create sandwiches ordered from the menu. All 52 pieces are stored in the sandwich counter for easy cleanup.
Skills at Play: It’s a deliciously fun way to encourage counting, sorting, and fine motor skills, as well as imaginative play and storytelling.
Wooden Cool Scoops Ice Creamery
Summer Playdate Fun: Scoop up cool pretend play creations with this full-service ice cream shop! Offer pretend play ice cream and soft serve cones, cups, milkshakes, and ice cream sandwiches. Customers can choose from items listed on the magnetic menu board and use the credit card machine with magnetic signature pad to pay for purchases! Grown-ups can rest assured that when it’s time to close up shop, all the pieces store in the counter for easy cleanup.
Skills at Play: This 42-piece play food set helps kids develop fine-motor, sorting, and counting skills, and promotes imaginative play and storytelling.
Sort, Stock, Select Wooden Vending Machine Play Set
Summer Playdate Fun: Satisfy hungry imaginations with the push of a button! Open up the back of the unique wooden vending machine and stock it with nine double-sided play food packages, including snack bars, drinks, and pouches. On the front, select an item, insert a color-matching play coin or bank card, press the corresponding letter and number button, and the snack drops into the collection drawer! No batteries required!
Skills at Play: This vending play set is an engaging, hands-on way to help teach kids about cause-and-effect, and to encourage letter, number, and color recognition, sorting, matching, counting, and fine motor skills.
Wooden Chocolate Factory Play Set
Summer Playdate Fun: Sweeten up playtime by ordering, assembling, displaying, and gifting deliciously fun pretend play candy treats. The Melissa & Doug Wooden Chocolate Factory Play Set lets kids create imaginative filled play chocolate candies with durable plastic tops and bottoms and colorful wooden fillings that can be decorated with stickers.
Skills at Play: Great for color matching, counting, and developing language skills through cooperative play.
Disney Snacks & Popcorn Wooden Food Counter
Summer Playdate Fun: Get playtime popping with play food popcorn and treats inspired by Disney’s Mickey Mouse and friends! With the colorful wooden snack counter featuring Disney characters, kids can pop pretend popcorn, and serve up play versions of their favorite Disney snacks. All the pieces in the 33-piece play set store in the counter for easy cleanup.
Skills at Play: Encourages imaginative role playing, sorting, counting, and other developmental skills.
Wooden Cafe Barista Coffee Shop
Summer Playdate Fun: Perk up playtime with this full-service, 35-piece wooden coffee shop from Melissa & Doug that lets kids be the barista or the customer! Use the coffee maker with a flip filter and “steamer” and the drink dispenser with frother to prepare pretend espressos, whipped cream-topped lattes, tea, and cold drinks.
Skills at Play: Encourages fine motor development, counting and sorting skills, color recognition, and storytelling
Slice & Bake Cookie Set - Wooden Play Food
Summer Playdate Fun: The Melissa & Doug Slice and Bake Wooden Cookie Set is a sweet introduction to pretend kitchen play! This colorful cookie set includes 12 wooden, sliceable cookies and 12 cookie toppings, a wooden knife, spatula, cookie sheet, and a kitchen mitt for safe, imaginative play.
Skills at Play: A delicious way for kids to practice fine motor skills, number concepts, and more, while pretending to bake and serve sweet treats.
Summer Playdate Fun: Make sensational pretend play salads fresh to order! The all-inclusive 52-piece set includes felt salad greens (kale, lettuce, and spinach) in hinged containers, and slice-able wooden vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, and green peppers), proteins (shrimp and grilled chicken), and toppings (olives and croutons).
Skills at Play: Helps kids practice gross & fine motor skills, C-grip strength, imaginative play, creative expression, and healthful eating habits.
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For more great toy content from Melissa & Doug, follow the links below:
Shop Melissa & Doug Pretend Play Toys
Shop Melissa & Doug Pretend Play Kitchens & Play Centers
Shop Melissa & Doug Play Food & Play Sets
Explore Melissa & Doug Ms. Rachel Toy Collection
Shop Melissa & Doug Toys by Age
Shop Melissa & Doug Learning Toys
