60 min
Invent a Board Game
They design the board, write the rules, and then make you play it.
🍽
Run a Restaurant
A menu, an order pad, and one very slow waiter.
A long role-play that gets more elaborate every time, and it comes with genuine writing built in.
What you need
- paper
- pens
- a tea towel
- toy food or real snacks
How to do it
- Write a menu together with four or five items and prices.
- Set a table properly, with a tea towel over the waiters arm.
- You sit down and order. Be a slightly difficult customer.
- They write the order down, however roughly, and bring it.
- Work out the bill at the end and pay with coins or buttons.
Why this is good for them
Writing a menu and taking an order is writing with a real purpose, which produces far more effort than a worksheet. Adding up a bill is applied arithmetic, and dealing with a fussy customer is negotiation practice.
Adapting by age
3 to 4 yearsDraw the menu items rather than writing them, and skip the bill.
9 to 12 yearsAdd a budget, a special of the day, and change from a note.
Keep it safe
If using real food, check allergies and keep it to snacks that need no preparation.
Cleanup tip
Closing the restaurant means clearing the table.
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