Coffee Shop Dramatic Play

Our dramatic play printables have been quite popular in the last year, maybe because we’ve all been spending more time at home and it’s a fun way to keep the kids busy inside. I’ve had a few requests for new themes, and this Coffee Shop dramatic play was on top of the list!

So I wasted no time in putting it together.

Setting up a Coffee Shop Dramatic Play Scene

If you’re familiar with my previous dramatic play kits, you’ll know I always include themed signs and forms. These are great for visual recognition for non-readers and can also encourage writing and mark making.

This coffee shop dramatic play kit included a customer order form, that I laminated to use with a whiteboard marker, a pricelist with all the items on the cafe menu, and a few other themed signs to use around the cafe.

Ikea Play Kitchen Hack

As with our other dramatic play scenes, I set this one up using our Ikea Play Kitchen as a base. I just turn the kitchen around and add a sign to the top back panel, in this case a personalised Coffee Shop sign. My printable dramatic play kits always include a sign that will fit this panel of the Ikea play kitchen, but also an A4 size that you can use instead if you don’t have one.

Coffee Shop Play Food

It wouldn’t be a cafe without donuts, muffins and other yummy treats! For this dramatic play kit I decided to include some pretend food templates so you can make your own if you don’t have these in your toy collection.

I printed our cookies, muffins, donuts and croissants, then stuck them to a piece of cardboard before cutting them out. This made them sturdy enough to be used in play and I’m happy that we’ll be able to recycle them when they’re no longer needed. You can also laminate them instead, if you prefer that option.

I displayed the cafe food on a tray and used themed labels to name and organise them.

I also made milk and juice cartons. The templates and instructions are included in the dramatic play kit. I just printed them on white card stock, cut and glued them together. They look pretty cute and fit perfectly in one of the nooks of our ikea play kitchen.

Coffee Shop Labels

To complete the look I added some little details, like the jars of sugar, cinnamon and honey, some straws, take away cups and coffee stirrers. These are not necessary but I thought they would extend the kids’ play.

Our coffee shop has been a big success with my girls and they have been serving us lots of coffee and food since we set it up!

I hope this post inspired you to create a new play experience for your little ones.

If you’d like to set up a play space like this one, you can grab our Coffee Shop Dramatic Play Printables that include all the signs, labels and forms shown in the photos. Or check our Dramatic Play section for other imaginative play printables!