Fun Ideas for Imaginative Play with our best Felt Food

"Mummy, what kind of ice cream do you want?" Playing with felt food is a wonderful way to engage with your child and spark their imagination. Try asking them questions like, “Can you make me a healthy meal?” or “What’s a fun treat we could have for dessert?” This simple back-and-forth encourages creativity and learning while making playtime even more enjoyable.

Tara Treasures’ play food range includes beautifully handcrafted felt fruits, veggies, and even a fun ice cream set—perfect for endless pretend play! If you're looking for ways to inspire imaginative play at home, here are some fun ideas to try with your child.

1. Set Up a Felt Fruit Market

Let your child set up their very own felt fruit market! Use small baskets or trays to display the felt fruits like pineapples, grapes, and mangoes. You can take turns being the shopkeeper and customer, practicing buying and selling with pretend money.

Learning benefits: Counting, sorting, social skills, and role-playing.

2. Make a Felt Fruit Salad

Encourage your child to mix and match different felt fruits to make a yummy pretend fruit salad. Ask questions like, “What flavours go well together?” or “Can you make a rainbow fruit salad using all the colours?”

Learning benefits: Colour recognition, creativity, and fine motor skills.

3. Ice Cream Shop Role Play
The felt ice cream set comes with nine fun scoops, including rainbow, chocolate mint, and mango sorbet. Set up an ice cream shop where your child can take orders and create delicious pretend cones for family members.

Encourage engagement by asking fun questions like, “What’s your favourite ice cream flavour?”, “Can you make me a surprise flavour?”, or “What new flavour would you invent if you had an ice cream shop?” This playful interaction helps kids explore different combinations, use their imagination, and practice communication skills.

Learning benefits: Communication, turn-taking, and memory skills.

4. Mystery Felt Food Game

Place a few felt food items in a bag. Let your child reach in, feel one, and guess what it is without looking!

Ask engaging questions like, “Can you tell what shape it is?”, “Does it feel round like an apple or long like a banana?”, or “What do you think it might be before you take it out?” This simple yet exciting game encourages kids to use their sense of touch and think critically about different textures and shapes.

Learning benefits: Sensory exploration and critical thinking.

5. Cooking Show Fun

Set up a mini pretend kitchen and let your child be the host of their very own “cooking show”! Ask them, “What delicious dish are you making today?”, “What’s the first ingredient you’ll add?”, and “Can you tell me the steps to make your recipe?”

Encourage them to describe each step as they go—mixing, chopping, or stirring—and give their dish a fun name at the end. “Is it a Super Fruity Salad or a Magical Mango Surprise?” This playful activity helps kids practice sequencing and storytelling while having loads of fun.

Learning benefits: Speech development, storytelling, and confidence-building.

6. Felt Food Picnic

Pack up a picnic basket with felt fruits, veggies, and sandwiches, and set up a cozy picnic spot in the backyard or living room. Ask your child, “What kind of sandwiches should we pack? Do you like a classic cheese sandwich or something fun like peanut butter and banana?”

Once the main meal is ready, explore some sweet treats! “Should we pack desserts? Maybe a chocolate Swiss roll, a yummy swirl lollipop, or a felt set of macarons?” Then, talk about drinks: “Would you like a juice bottle, a fizzy felt sparkling drink, or something else?”

Make it a fun learning moment by asking, “Which of these foods are the healthiest? What should we eat first, and what should we save for last?” This activity encourages kids to think about balanced meals while engaging in imaginative play.

Learning benefits: Social skills, imaginative play, and outdoor play.

7. Felt Food Sorting Challenge

Challenge your child to sort the felt food in different ways! Start simple: “Can you group them by colour? Let’s put all the red foods together, then the yellow ones!”

Then, mix it up: “What about sorting them by shape? Which ones are round, long, or oval?” You can also ask, “Can you put them in alphabetical order? Which food comes first, apple or banana?”

Encourage them to think about nutrition by asking, “Can we sort them into fruits, vegetables, and drinks? Which ones are the healthiest? Are there any treats we should only have sometimes?”

This interactive game makes learning about food and healthy choices fun while building early maths and problem-solving skills.

Learning benefits: Sorting, categorisation, early maths, and critical thinking.

8. Sorting and Understanding Food Groups

When it comes to assembling a healthy sandwich, it’s important to understand which ingredients belong and which ones don’t. For example, while you might enjoy a sandwich with bread, cheese, and lettuce, cookies or ice cream shouldn’t be included. These treats are delicious but fall outside the food groups that support energy and growth.

What Goes in a Sandwich?

• Proteins like chicken, ham, turkey, and tofu are great options for a sandwich because they help build and repair tissues in your body.

• Vegetables, like lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, provide vitamins and fiber, which are key to keeping your digestive system healthy.

• Cheese can be included as a source of dairy, which provides calcium for strong bones.

What Doesn’t Belong in a Sandwich?

• Desserts like cake or candy don’t fit into a sandwich because they are high in sugar and fats, which should be consumed in moderation.

• Fruits, although healthy, aren’t typically part of a sandwich unless you’re making a fruit sandwich (such as with peanut butter and banana). However, fruits are best enjoyed on their own or in a fruit salad.

Sorting Food into Groups The health pyramid helps us understand the different types of foods and their nutritional benefits:

• Bread & Carbohydrates: Foods like bread, pasta, and rice belong to the carbohydrate group. They are your body’s main energy source.

• Fruits & Vegetables: These are essential for providing vitamins, minerals, and fiber, helping with digestion and overall well-being. Examples include apples, spinach, and carrots.

• Protein: Foods such as meat, fish, eggs, beans, and lentils fall into the protein group, essential for growth and muscle repair.

• Dairy: Milk, yogurt, and cheese help build strong bones and teeth, providing necessary calcium.

Building Healthy Meals Using the Pyramid When preparing meals, you can use the pyramid to guide your choices. Aim to fill your plate with mostly fruits and vegetables, then add a serving of protein and carbohydrates. Dairy can be included as part of your meal or as a snack.

By using these categories to sort your felt food, your child can begin to understand the benefits of healthy eating while also having fun! This activity not only teaches them the differences between food groups but also encourages them to make healthier choices every day.

Learning benefits: Memory skills and attention to detail.

Felt food is more than just a toy—it’s a gateway to creativity, storytelling, and learning. With these simple ideas, you can encourage hours of imaginative play using Tara Treasures' beautiful felt food range. What’s your child’s favourite pretend meal to make?