Restaurant

Students work together to transform the dramatic play centre into a restaurant. With support from the educator, they brainstorm what a restaurant needs and create items such as menus, signs, order forms, receipts, and play money using classroom materials. Children take on roles such as customers, servers, and chefs as they read menus, write orders, and engage in conversations during play. 

• Support students in planning the restaurant by asking questions about what features, materials, and roles are needed 
• Record students' ideas and plans so they can refer to them during their play 
• Introduce and reinforce vocabulary related to restaurants, food, cooking, ordering, and payment 
• Model how to create restaurant-related print materials such as menus, signs, and receipts 
• Join the play as a customer, server, or chef to model oral language and extend interactions 
• Support early writing by encouraging students to listen for and record the sounds they hear in words when writing menu items or orders 
• Ask questions to deepen learning (e.g., "What sounds do you hear in pizza?" or "What would you like to order?") 
• Extend learning by encouraging students to read menus, write additional items, create advertisements, or develop new restaurant scenarios 

• Dramatic play restaurant props (e.g., play food, dishes, trays, aprons, notepads, cash register) 
• Writing materials (e.g., paper, pencils, markers, clipboards) 
• Materials for creating menus, signs, order forms, and receipts 
• Play money, coins, or cash register  
• Environmental print materials related to restaurants (e.g., takeout menus, food flyers, signs)