Order up, chefs: If your child enjoys cooking up fun with pretend kitchen play, don’t miss this month’s Toy Spotlight item, La Patisserie Bakery!
Our pretend French bakery playset encourages kids to explore play scenarios as both the baker and the customer—especially important when playing siblings or friends. There’s a variety of different pretend foods to prepare, which helps kids develop important early learning skills such as fine motor ability. Plus, La Patisserie Bakery features sturdy wooden construction and inviting felt fabric accessories that really stimulate a kid’s sensory development as well.
No need for a reservation at the hottest baking spot in town—you’re invited to see what’s on the menu with this month’s Toy Spotlight item!
Why Kids Will Love this French Bakery Pretend Play Set
La Patisserie Bakery
Play Basics: Be the baker or the customer with this sturdy wooden bakery counter with removable mixer and swiveling pay terminal, plus wooden and fabric play food pieces and play baking accessories.
Playful Details: Satisfy hungry imaginations at this full-service wooden bakery from Melissa & Doug! Use the removable mixer with dough hook and whisk to pretend to mix up the batter. Pop soft bread and cake in the oven, ice and decorate wooden cupcakes and cookies, and roll up croissants and buns. Display scrumptious-looking items in the display case in the front of the sturdy wooden counter. Customers can choose from items listed on the magnetic menu board, and use the credit card machine with magnetic signature pad to pay for purchases! This 39-piece play food set offers kids countless opportunities to develop early learning skills and to create, imagine, and role play.
Age: 3+ years
Ooh-la-la…pretend baking fun!
Who Will Love This: Has your child mastered the art of mud pies? Do they stream “Great British Baking Show” more than you? Do they have opinions on what type of croissant is best? (Answer: Chocolate.) If the answer to those questions is “yes,” you’ll be in the market to take home La Patisserie Bakery pretend French bakery play set from Melissa & Doug!
Skills at Play: Encourages fine motor development, counting and sorting skills, color recognition, and storytelling
Much like the dough your kids love to make, little bakers need time to develop and rise, which is what makes La Patisserie Bakery such a delicious pretend play set for them to explore. The more your kids discover new recipes and pretend play scenarios in La Patisserie Bakery, the more they’ll be developing key early learning skills such as fine motor development, storytelling, imaginations, and much more. Parents, give yourselves the quintessential chef’s kiss if you’re inspiring your kiddo to cook up fun in their pretend play sets like La Patisserie Bakery!
Gift Tip: Keep La Patisserie Bakery in reserve during gift-opening time. When it’s time to cut the birthday cake, put out the pretend treats included with the play set instead. It’s a sweet little switcheroo that will lead to one more great gift before having the real dessert!
Countless Ways to Play: If you’re a parent or caregiver looking for a featured play space to get for your child, Melissa & Doug offers a compelling selection of play centers that would appeal to kids with lots of different interests. We’ve curated a handy rundown of our top play centers based on kids’ interests:
- Play center for kids who love animals: Animal Care Activity Center
- Play center for kids who love PAW Patrol: PAW Patrol Wooden Paw Patroller Activity Center
- Play center for kids who love to build: Wooden Project Solid Wood Workbench
- Play center for kids who love to help others: Get Well Doctor Activity Center
- Play center for kids who love to shop: Fresh Mart Grocery Store
Plays Well With: Kids cannot thrive on pretend play baking alone…that’s why Melissa & Doug recommends mixing and matching your child’s pretend pay options! Expand their pretend play offerings by adding the Wooden Brew & Serve Coffee Set to have a hot cup of joe to go with a baked treat from the Patisserie. To keep your kid’s imagination powered through the late morning, add our Smoothie Maker Blender Set to give a nutritional boost to their imaginations. When it’s lunch time, bring in that rush crowd with the Slice & Stack Sandwich Counter, and keep the dessert crowd happy by adding the Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter. Finally, don’t forget the Dust! Sweep! Mop! set that lets little entrepreneurs keep the pretend food court (not to mention their real play space) clean!
The Buzz: “Top notch quality. So we all know and love Melissa & Doug products, especially since their quality is unparalleled. I have three little children ages 5, 3, and 20 months. All three of them absolutely loved this set. My 3-year-old is on the spectrum and is very sensory, and he loved the [hook-and-loop] portions on the cupcakes. One of the things I appreciate the most about Melissa & Doug products is that they’re made of good quality materials. He also likes putting things in his mouth and often chews on his toys, resulting in him breaking them and occasionally getting wood chips in his mouth. Never once has that happened with Melissa & Doug products. My 5-year-old loved pretending that he opened his own bakery and was selling us products. My 20-month-old favored the fake register with the etch and sketch type of screen. Bonus points for the fact that it came already assembled. What more could a mom ask for.” —Mommymatters5, in a recent 5-star review on MelissaAndDoug.com
