16mo–2.2y10 minFree playChore time
Everyday Pretend Tray
A quick, child-led pretend setup using familiar household items. The parent offers a small variety of everyday resources and follows the child’s pretend ideas while noticing what themes interest them.
What you'll need
Essentials
- a small tray or shallow box
- 2–3 safe kitchen items (plastic bowl, wooden spoon, measuring cup)
- a small cloth or sponge
Nice to have
- an old magazine or junk mail leaflet (supervised)
- an old phone or toy phone
- an empty (clean) bottle with lid removed
Movement level: low
What you'll do
The 4-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.
What this develops
- MilestoneReenacts household routines in playMind· 16mo–3y· core· Step 3
- MilestoneSimple pretend playMind· 14mo–2.2y· core
- MilestoneCopies household activities liveMind· 16mo–2y· stretch· Step 2
- MilestoneExpresses own preferences and interests.Heart· 22mo–3y· core· Step 1
- MilestoneReenacts familiar experiencesMind· 2.2y–3.8y· core· Step 3
- MilestoneCopies simple gestures or actionsMind· 6mo–2.3y· core· Step 2
- MilestoneCopies sounds or wordsMind· 10mo–20mo· core· Step 2
- MilestoneCan select and use activities and resources with help.Heart· 22mo–3y· stretch· Step 1
- MilestoneUses symbolic substitution (objects and words) in playMind· 20mo–3y· stretch
What it practices
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “Provide a variety of familiar resources reflecting everyday life, such as magazines, real kitchen items, telephones or washing materials.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)