Kick off the back-to-school season with a fun and educational sensory play setup! Our Smart Cookie Dramatic Play inspires creativity, fine motor skills, and pretend play while getting toddlers excited about learning. Designed with three sensory bins and dramatic play elements, this setup encourages hands-on exploration, imaginative thinking, and early literacy skills.
List of Materials Needed
Sugar cookie dough or Play-Doh
Cookie cutters, rolling pins, and baking trays
Cheerios, Panda Puffs, or similar cereal
Bakery-themed dramatic play printables (cash register, menus, and signage)
Pretend money
Measuring cups, spoons, and tongs
Toy cookies, cupcakes, or resin bakery goods
Aprons and chef hats
Overview of Learning Objectives by Age Group
Age 0-6mo: Tactile exploration (supervised with taste-safe materials)
Age 6mo-12mo: Scooping, grasping, and exploring textures
Age 12mo-2yr: Pretend play and color sorting
Age 3yr-4yr: Fine motor skill development through rolling, cutting, and pattern-making
Age 4yr-6yr: Role-playing bakery scenarios, counting, and literacy skills
Sensory Bin 1: Making Sugar Cookies
Materials List:
Homemade or store-bought sugar cookie dough
Cookie cutters and rolling pins
Small baking trays or plates
Sprinkles (real or pretend)
Activity Instructions:
Children can roll out dough, cut shapes using cookie cutters, and decorate their “cookies” with sprinkles. Older children can use wooden knives to practice safe cutting techniques, and toddlers can focus on squishing and rolling to build fine motor strength.
Sensory Bin 2: Cheerios and Panda Puffs Pencil Craft
Materials List:
Cheerios and Panda Puffs cereals
A laminated “pencil outline” template
Small containers or bowls
Tweezers, tongs, or scoops
Activity Instructions:
Fill a bin with Cheerios and Panda Puffs, and provide pencil-shaped templates for children to outline with cereal. Older kids can use tongs to carefully place each piece, while younger ones can scoop and pour the cereal into the shape. This activity is great for improving pincer grip and early geometry skills.
Sensory Bin 3: Bakery Shop Owner Pretend Play
Materials List:
Pretend baked goods (toy cookies, cupcakes, etc.)
Cash register and play money
Measuring cups, spoons, and tongs
Aprons and chef hats
Activity Instructions:
Children can take turns being the bakery shop owner and customers. They’ll practice counting pretend money, using dramatic play printables to “take orders,” and serving up baked goods. Add tools like measuring cups and spoons for children to “mix” their own creations.
Additional Creative Sensory Bin Ideas
Looking to extend the Smart Cookie theme? Try these fun alternatives:
Sensory Bin 4: Chocolate Chip Cookie Sorting
Filler Ideas:
Chocolate chip cereal or small chocolate pebbles
Beige-colored dried beans for “dough”
Activity:
Have children use tongs to pick out the “chocolate chips” and sort them into bowls. For extra fun, provide muffin tins to create “mini cookies.”
Sensory Bin 5: Edible Cookie Dough Party
Filler Ideas:
Taste-safe edible cookie dough
Colorful sprinkles and mini chocolate chips
Activity:
Toddlers can squish and mold the edible dough while decorating with mix-ins. Encourage creative shapes like stars or hearts!
Sensory Bin 6: Cookie Icing Station
Filler Ideas:
Shaving cream or whipped soap (non-toxic alternatives)
Small craft spatulas
Activity:
Children can “ice” paper cookie cutouts, adding pretend sprinkles and stickers to decorate their creations.
Sensory Bin 7: Alphabet Cookie Match
Filler Ideas:
Small magnetic letters or alphabet beads
Kinetic sand as “cookie dough”
Activity:
Hide letters in the sand and have kids “bake” cookies by matching the letters to a baking tray or cookie outline printable.
Benefits of Sensory Play
Fine Motor Skills: Scooping, rolling, and cutting activities strengthen little hands.
Early Math & Literacy: Counting, sorting, and role-play encourage early academic skills.
Creativity: Designing and decorating cookies inspires imagination.
Social Skills: Pretend play builds teamwork, communication, and cooperation.
Week-Long Lesson Plan: Smart Cookie Dramatic Play Theme
Week-Long Lesson Plan: Smart Cookie Dramatic Play ThemeEach day includes eight structured activities designed to engage toddlers and preschoolers with sensory play, fine motor skills, literacy, math, and creative exploration. These activities are perfect for homeschool moms looking to fill their days with educational fun inspired by the Smart Cookie theme.
Monday: Sugar Cookie Dough Exploration
Morning Sensory Play: Sugar cookie dough sensory bin with rolling pins and cookie cutters.
Math Activity: Count and sort pretend cookies by size and shape.
Literacy Activity: Practice writing letters in flattened dough with fingers or craft sticks.
Creative Art: Make a “cookie collage” by decorating paper cutouts of cookies with crayons and stickers.
Storytime: Read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and discuss what happens in the story.
Cooking Activity: Pretend to follow a recipe using measuring cups and spoons.
Physical Activity: Bake-themed movement game (e.g., “Roll like a rolling pin,” “Jump like popcorn”).
Quiet Time: Practice tracing cookie-themed printables or coloring pages.
Tuesday: Cheerios Pencil Craft
Morning Sensory Play: Create pencil shapes using Cheerios and Panda Puffs.
Math Activity: Count the pieces of cereal needed to outline the pencil.
Literacy Activity: Trace letters or numbers inside the cereal outline using washable markers.
Fine Motor Practice: Use tweezers or tongs to move cereal into pencil shapes.
Science Activity: Explore textures and compare the crunchiness of Cheerios and Panda Puffs.
Creative Art: Paint a giant cardboard “pencil” to hang as a decoration.
Storytime: Read The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg and discuss how pencils are used.
Cooking Activity: Make a simple snack mix using Cheerios, Panda Puffs, and dried fruit.
Wednesday: Bakery Shop Pretend Play
Morning Sensory Play: Bakery shop setup with pretend money and play baked goods.
Math Activity: Count play money and “purchase” cookies using price tags.
Literacy Activity: Write a bakery menu or create order cards with simple words and drawings.
Role-Playing Activity: Take turns being the baker and customers.
Fine Motor Practice: Use tongs to serve cookies and cupcakes to “customers.”
Art Activity: Design and decorate paper cookies using crayons, glitter, and stickers.
Physical Activity: Play “Baker Says,” a themed version of Simon Says.
Quiet Time: Listen to a baking-themed audiobook or relaxing baking sounds.
Thursday: Cookie Sorting & Patterns
Morning Sensory Play: Sort “chocolate chips” (brown pom-poms or cereal) from a cookie dough filler (dried beans or sand).
Math Activity: Create patterns with cookies (e.g., big-small-big or circle-square-circle).
Science Activity: Compare different sensory fillers by weight, texture, and color.
Literacy Activity: Practice spelling simple words like “cookie” or “bake” using magnetic letters.
Creative Art: Make a “cookie jar” craft with paper and markers.
Cooking Activity: Measure ingredients to create no-bake energy balls as “cookies.”
Fine Motor Practice: Use tongs to move “chocolate chips” into muffin tins.
Storytime: Read Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington and discuss the role of bakers.
Friday: Cookie Icing Station
Morning Sensory Play: Decorate paper cookie cutouts with pretend icing (shaving cream or whipped soap).
Fine Motor Practice: Use small spatulas to “spread” the pretend icing.
Math Activity: Count how many “sprinkles” (pom-poms or beads) go on each cookie.
Literacy Activity: Write short “orders” for cookies using simple words or stamps.
Creative Art: Paint or color a cookie bakery sign for your pretend play station.
Science Activity: Mix food coloring into shaving cream and observe color changes.
Physical Activity: Set up a scavenger hunt to find hidden cookie cutouts around the house.
Cooking Activity: Bake real cookies together, focusing on measuring and mixing.
Saturday: Full Setup Sensory Play Day
Morning Sensory Play: Engage with all three sensory bins: sugar cookie dough, Cheerios pencil craft, and bakery pretend play.
Math Activity: Count how many cookies can fit on a pretend baking tray.
Fine Motor Practice: Sort pretend sprinkles by color using tweezers or fingers.
Creative Art: Design your dream bakery on a large piece of paper.
Role-Playing Activity: Host a cookie shop where family members can order and “buy” cookies.
Science Activity: Compare hot and cold materials while touching different baking tools.
Physical Activity: Play “Cookie Relay” by racing to deliver cookies across the room.
Quiet Time: Listen to a baking-themed story or relaxing music.
Sunday: Reflect & Reinforce
Morning Sensory Play: Revisit your favorite bin from the week and add new tools (e.g., cookie molds or additional fillers).
Math Activity: Sort cookies by type or size and tally them.
Creative Art: Draw a picture of your favorite cookie and write a short story about it.
Science Activity: Observe how different baking tools feel when placed in water or sand.
Fine Motor Practice: Build a cookie stack tower using Play-Doh or stacking toys.
Cooking Activity: Decorate pre-baked cookies with icing and sprinkles.
Role-Playing Activity: Pretend to deliver cookies to friends or family members.
Storytime: Read The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat and discuss the characters’ problem-solving.
This detailed plan ensures a full day of Smart Cookie activities, keeping homeschool moms organized while inspiring fun and learning!
Each day includes eight structured activities designed to engage toddlers and preschoolers with sensory play, fine motor skills, literacy, math, and creative exploration. These activities are perfect for homeschool moms looking to fill their days with educational fun inspired by the Smart Cookie theme.
Vocabulary Words for the Theme
1. Dough
2. Cookie
3. Bake
4. Sprinkle
5. Dough roller
6. Chef
7. Recipe
8. Mix
9. Measure
10. Tray
11. Icing
12. Shape
13. Oven
14. Bakery
15. Ingredient
16. Money
17. Pretend
18. Shop
19. Sell
20. Play
Ready to bake up some fun? Explore our Smart Cookie Dramatic Play printables on GoodnightFox.com, and don’t forget to share your setups using #learningthroughplaytrays!
