There’s something about enjoying ice cream that just makes people really happy!
That’s why we created this brand new Melissa & Doug Cool Scoops Ice Creamery wooden ice cream play set for kids—it taps into that universal joy, while fostering kids development in important skills such as creativity and skill building.
Whether little ones are serving up cool creations as a store owner, or choosing from a variety of delicious pretend frozen treats as a customer, the multiple features and realistic-looking components will surely jumpstart kids’ imaginations.
You’ll love seeing little ones interact and engage in pretend play while they practice key foundational skills. Want to learn more? Here’s the scoop on the Melissa & Doug Cool Scoops Ice Creamery, the subject of this installment of Melissa & Doug’s Toy Spotlight blog series!
Toy Spotlight: Pretend Wooden Ice Cream Play Set
Play Basics
Scoop up cool pretend play creations with this full-service ice cream shop! Order, create, and serve a variety of pretend frozen treats with this beautifully-crafted wooden ice cream shop for kids. Some of its many features include a soft serve dispenser, write-on ordering and payment tablet, magnetic menu board, display area, and plenty of storage.
Playful Details
The 42-piece set comes equipped with even the smallest details for a true full-service ice cream shop play experience. Kids can offer pretend play ice cream, single or mixed flavor soft serve, milkshakes, and even ice cream sandwiches at the sturdy wooden counter. They’ll love putting the wooden scoops or durable plastic swirls in the top of the ice cream dispenser, pressing the lever and watching them drop down. Use the kid-sized scooper to lift the wooden scoops to fill cups or a soft, fabric, roll-up waffle cone. Don’t forget the toppings! Top the stackable scoops with play sprinkles or dip into snap-on hot fudge for an extra special treat.
Shop owners can display ice cream choices in the front of the counter while customers choose from items on the magnetic menu board. After they order, little ones can swipe the pretend credit card into the machine with signature pad, and even present their loyalty card for bonus points.
Parents Will Love This Feature
When it comes time to close up shop, all the pieces in the Cool Scoops Ice Creamery can be stored in the counter for easy cleanup!
Age: 3+
Who Will Love This
Anyone who thrills at getting their favorite ice cream treat! It’s also a wonderful toy for kids ages 3 and older who love pretend food play and shopping scenarios.
So Many Ways to Play
The toy ice cream stand serves up multiple opportunities for kids to explore different pretend play scenarios such as setting up their displays, creating the daily menu, running a credit card, and of course, making delicious decisions. Little shop keepers can expand their offerings with more pretend frozen treats such as Italian ices and ice pops, refreshing smoothies, tempting deli sandwiches, or an espresso from their own pretend coffee bar.
Skills at Play
Fine-motor, sorting and stacking, sequencing, imaginative play, early math and money skills, creative expression, and practical life skills.
Get the Playing Started
Here are some suggestions to inspire different ways for your child to play with the Cool Scoops Ice Creamery!
- Have kids practice using their sorting, counting, and stacking skills with the stackable wooden scoops
- Create flashcards that depict what type of treat to make, then set the timer for 30 seconds as they attempt to create it
- Ask your child to come up with a name for their ice cream stand and names for their specialty items
- Generate conversation about their favorite – and not so favorite – flavors and toppings; ask them what ingredients they’d choose for their own unique ice cream flavor
- Suggest they role play a regular well-known customer and then a brand new customer and explore how the conversation changes
Quotable
“Absolutely love it. We’re beyond excited to have this in our kids’ toy room. They’ve gotten so much enjoyment with mix and matching the various flavors, writing our orders down, swiping our credit card and ringing us up on the tablet. It even has magnets too so they’re able to display daily flavors. You can tell right away that the quality is top notch, as you’d expect from this brand. It’s not too big, so it fits in virtually any space. It’s also not too heavy, which makes it easy to pack away or move rooms. I’m confident you and the kiddos will be happy with one, too.” — Mere87, Austin, Texas in a recent 5-star review
