Ice Cream Shop Dramatic Play
“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!”
Welcome to the newest ice cream shop in town. There is surely something for everyone in this special shop. Download the printable resources to print, cut and play. Spark your creativity for play props and sprinkle in some imagination. This is all you need for hours of dramatic play.
Our newest dramatic play unit is available in the shop as of today and we couldn’t be more excited! We had so much fun with the printables and bringing this shop to life. We worked together to create props and used our creativity for using items around the house. My children (ages 2-9) equally enjoyed the play. That may be my favorite aspect of dramatic play. All ages can join in their own way and truly enjoy themselves. Take a peek at how our play developed.
Ice Cream Shop Dramatic Play Resources
The printable resources come as an instant download. You can print, cut and play right away. The resources can be purchased here on the website or on Etsy here.
The resource bundle includes the following:
Ice Cream Shop Pennant Banner
Ice Cream Shop Menu
Open and Closed Signs
Name Tags
Checkout Sign
Labels for the Ice Cream Flavors, toppings and other sweet treats
Labels for Ice Cream Shop items (cones, bowls)
Play Beyond the Lines Play Money
I prefer to print the materials on cardstock so they are sturdier than typical printer paper. I also like to laminate them so they can withstand round after round of play. For items that will be written on I typically laminate and provide dry erase markers. You could print multiple copies for disposable use as well.
Physical Resources
We put our creative minds together to create the physical resources we paired with the printables. My daughter was adamant that playdough was the way to go. We pulled out the ingredients we had on hand and made our favorite softest playdough. Check out the playdough recipe here. Trust me, it is so soft and made the perfect “ice cream” for our shop. We used food coloring to color the dough to mimic the desired ice cream flavors.
I also brought up the idea of using pom poms. The older kids loved making pom poms in art class so we decided to make some for our play props as well. See the step by step directions on how to make your own pom-poms here.
We happened to have the ice cream bowls, ice cream scoop, cone and cash register on hand. We opened our craft cabinet to determine our toppings. Red pom-poms became our cherries, black beans became chocolate chips, brown yarn became chocolate syrup and rainbow rice was added for the sprinkles. After making our props and gathering the materials, it was just a matter of setting it up. We decided to use our dining room table so the customers could walk down the “counter” to place their orders.
Make it Your Own
The beauty of dramatic play is there is no “right way.” Use your imagination and creativity and get the kiddos involved in creating the space. Move the printables outdoors and use sticks, mud and rocks for the shop. Pack the printables in a beautiful box with a package of playdough for a unique birthday gift. Set the materials out in a classroom or playroom and let the kids implement them as they see fit. The possibilities are endless.
Our Etsy shop continues to grow with new resources. We are also working on building our shop here on the website for convenience. This means you have more options! Grab your copy of the Ice Cream Shop Dramatic Play printables on the shop here or on Etsy here.
Now that the wheels are turning, how do you envision your ice cream shop? Where could you set it up? What props would you use? Inspire others by sharing in the comments below.
