# Pretend Play Bakery with a Cardboard Display Shelf
> Turn an empty toy box and scraps of cardboard into a bakery display case, decorate it with colored paper and thinned glue, then stock it with play cookies and cupcakes. Setting prices turns pretend play into a lesson on numbers and money.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/lets-start-a-bakery/
- Ages: 3–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 15 min, activity 45 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group · one batch serves about 2 kids
- Skills: pretend-play, construction, fine-motor, numbers, money-concepts, critical-thinking
- Cautions: ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 piece Empty toy box (cardboard) (household)
- 3 piece Cardboard for shelves (household)
- 1 piece Scissors (household)
- 1 piece Stapler (household)
- Colored paper
- White school glue
- Water (household)
- 1 piece Empty glue container or small container (household)
- 1 piece Paint brush
- Play food cookies and cupcakes
- 1 piece Small whiteboard or sign for prices (optional)
- 1 piece Toy cash register with play card (optional)

## Substitutions
- Instead of glue container: Any small container (The author says any small container will do.)

## Safety
- Adult cuts the cardboard and does the stapling. Check that no staple points stick out where little hands reach.
- Keep small play food and glue away from babies and toddlers who mouth things. The author's younger daughter puts things in her mouth.
- Thinned glue is not taste-safe. Supervise gluing and wash hands afterward.

## Before you start
- Make or gather play cookies and cupcakes (see /make-your-own-play-food/).

## Steps
1. Adult: cut cardboard into rectangles a little longer than the width of the toy box.
2. Adult: fold each rectangle on either side.
3. Adult: staple the folded ends to the inside of the box to make shelves.
4. Thin some glue with water in an empty glue container or small cup.
5. Brush the thinned glue on the sides of the box and stick on colored paper.
6. Keep decorating until the bakery looks just right.
7. Put the cookies and cupcakes on the shelves.
8. Decide on prices and write them on a sign, like 50 cents per cookie and $1.00 per cupcake.
9. Open the bakery: the chef sells treats and customers pay at the register.

## Tips
- No tape measures required for the shelves, which makes it that much easier.
- Thin out the glue with some water and hand over a paint brush. It's so much easier to slather the glue, and you get good mileage from one bottle. It's a win-win!
- Use pricing to teach numbers and money. Be ready for favorite big numbers like "hundred thousand dollars" and a "brief" discussion about price reductions.
- A shelf keeps the play food off the floor and out of reach of a little sibling who might put it in her mouth.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2012)

Heres what happened : ***The scene:*** It kinda looks like the messiest home with messiest play area ! The toys are all over the floor and the carpet has all the doh's sticking on 'em ! My girls are going crazy with the finger paint and i'm thinking to myself - How did i let this happen? I need my house back . Me: Big S , we gotto clean up this mess before we start another activity today. You need to have a clean house and clean play area. You know the rules ! Pick up all the stuff and put them back where they belong. She knows her stuff ! we have designated bins for toys and crafts. But , it just never gets there. She takes a minute to analyze the scene and picks up a few toys or should i say pulled what her sister was holding, 'cos somehow that's the first piece to the clean up routine . Go figure ! Big S : Mom I don’t have any room for my cookies and my two beautiful cupcakes . [Check out this post to see how she made her own play food](https://www.funlittles.com/make-your-own-play-food/) (That’s her way of saying i'm done and I don’t want to clean up more !) Me : Why don't you put them on your kitchen shelf , so its easier when we play bakery store . Big S : But mooom , I need a shelf ! We cant keep them outside, they will turn bad and we cannot play. Lil' S will put it in her mouth , then what will I play with ? Wow, now that sounded like a genuine concern! May be she tricked me again, I fell victim to those charmingly cute and adorable excuses. But she did have a point – we needed shelves to showcase our goods . I went to the garage and after a quick search came up with a toy box and some cardboard. For the shelves, cut the cardboard into rectangles. The length of the rectangles should be a little longer than the width of the box. Fold on either side of the rectangle and staple the folded ends to the box. You have instant shelves. No tape measures required which makes it that much easy. This clean up routine has turned into a new big project .   'S' got busy decorating with some color papers that she wanted to stick to the sides to make it look " beautifuller" !!! Now, working with glue is the messy part , which my kids love. Heres what i do, I thin out the glue with some water( save some empty glue containers or any small containter will do) and give her a paint brush ( Melissa and Doug brushes ) . It makes it so much easier to slather the glue and i'm happy cos i get a good mileage from one bottle !!! Its a win-win !  Big S : This is exciting mommy and now i can have a bakery ! And i am the chef . She put all her cookies and cupcakes and set up her stand .  I wanted to use this opportunity to teach her some numbers and concept of money . She loves to play shopping and swiping cards is the best part ! She calls them " cash card" hahah ! Kinda true when you think about it !So anyway... Me : S , why don't you put a price for your cookies and cupcakes so your customers know how much it costs? Big S : My cookies are " hundred thousand dollars " and my cupcakes are "10 hundred dollars "!! :-) Those are her favorite big numbers ! Lets just say after a "brief" discussion we dropped the price to .50 cents per cookie and $ 1.00 per cupcake. Needless to say she wasn't very happy about the price reduction. I just cost her, her multi-billion turnover ! :-) Poor baby !  This was by far our best project and we loved every bit of it ! Oh and as far as cleaning goes, guess there is no point cleaning up this summer :-) ! Shared on Aloha Friday Blog Hop Made by little hands Mondays [It's Playtime](http://www.theimaginationtree.com) Featured on