Kitchen
Lots of learners like to cook. It helps them feel self-sufficient and capable. And it's fun to eat the results. Build on that motivation, if they have it, to encourage pretending in the following way.
- Initial Target: Learner will participate in real cooking experiences with real food.
Have your learner help you cook. Use simple directions and have them physically participate as much as possible (stirring, adding ingredients, rolling dough, cutting with cookie cutters or dull knives.)
- Second Target: Learner will play at a pretend kitchen center with realistic pots and pans, and realistic pretend food.
Using realistic looking equivalents to real food, and realistic play equivalents to kitchen ware, pretend to cook familiar dishes. Try to engage the learner to stir food in a pretend pot, fry food in a pretend pan, and serve the food onto play dishes. Follow through with a pretend meal if possible. Remember to enjoy your pretend food with exaggerated eating and drinking noises.
- Third Target: Learner will pretend to cook imaginary food.
Encourage your learner to take out pots and pans, and pretend to put food in them. Make lots of exclamations of delight over the smells and tastes, and be sure to ask what they are making, and what they are putting into the pot. You will very likely have to model this, or get a peer to model this. Pretend to spill something on them or on yourself. Have them get an imaginary towel to clean it up. Make sure that they are doing, not just watching you.
- Fourth Target : Learner will participate in multiple play and imaginary cooking scenarios with peers..
Bring in the peers and encourage your learner to participate with them instead of yourself.