A chef, a waiter, and a few hungry stuffed animals. All we needed were our Nugget cushions and a little imagination.
One day, our Nugget cushions became a restaurant. We made little tables, sat the boys’ stuffed animals around them, and gave each brother a job: one chef, one waiter. Before long, the stuffies were ordering meals and the boys were busy making and delivering them.
The best part wasn’t the setup. It was watching the boys decide what their customers wanted to eat. The orders kept changing, and the game changed with them. I gave them a place to start; they took it from there.
If you have some cushions and stuffed animals at home, here’s how to try it.
What you need
Start with Nugget cushions (or other sturdy floor cushions) and a few stuffed animals. Toy food and unbreakable play dishes are fun extras, but imaginary meals work just as well. You can also add paper for a menu or a timer if you want to try switching jobs.
Build a restaurant for the stuffies
Arrange the cushions into low tables and seats, then put a few stuffies around them. Leave a small space for the kitchen. It doesn’t need to look like a real restaurant. The kids just need to know where the customers sit and where their food gets made.
Keep the cushions low and stable, leave walking space between them, and stick with pretend food instead of hot food or breakable dishes. No need to build a dining room that could pass an inspection.
Give each child a job
The waiter visits the stuffies, takes their orders, and brings those orders to the chef. The chef makes the pretend meals and hands them back for delivery.
That simple division of jobs gave our boys a starting point without deciding everything for them. They came up with the food and kept changing the orders. If your kids need a little help getting started, try asking, “What would your bear like to eat?” Then see where they take it.
Try switching roles every three minutes
One idea I’d suggest—though it wasn’t part of our original game—is switching the chef and waiter roles about every three minutes so both kids get a turn. If an order is halfway finished, let them serve it before swapping. You could also switch after each round of orders instead of using a timer.
The point isn’t to enforce a three-minute rule. It’s to make sure each child knows their turn is coming, especially when both want the same job.
More ways to play
These are ideas to try next, not things we did in our original restaurant: let the kids name their café, draw a menu, open for breakfast, or make a takeout counter. If only one child is playing, they can be both chef and waiter while Dad helps a stuffie place an order.
Your quick-play plan
Make a few low cushion tables, seat the stuffies, and choose a chef and a waiter. Take an order, make a pretend meal, and deliver it. Switch jobs if that helps, then let the kids decide what happens next.
I like games that don’t require me to plan every minute. This one gave the boys a simple setup and enough room to make it their own. I helped open the restaurant, but the menu was theirs.
If your crew wants another pretend adventure, try Dad’s Indoor Fishing Game. For more movement, check out Indoor Active Games for Kids.
Dads, let’s go.
