When my kids were younger, I absolutely LOVED these “Slice” kits from Melissa & Doug. We had the fruit slice set, the cookie slice & bake set, the play food slice set, and the sandwich slice set.
I have bought my kids plenty of toys over the years, but these are some that I really remember loving. You know those toys that you don’t mind seeing spread all over the living room because you know your kids are actually playing with them? These were definitely those toys!
Why I Loved the Melissa & Doug Slice Sets
The concept was simple: wooden food that kids could “cut” apart and put back together.
The pieces were held together with Velcro, so kids could use the included wooden knife to “slice” the food apart and then put it back together again.
And for whatever reason, my kids thought this was the greatest thing ever. 😂
They could pretend they were cooking dinner, running a restaurant, making lunch, baking cookies, or serving food to their stuffed animals. There were so many possibilities.
And because the pieces were wooden, they had a much more substantial feel than the lightweight plastic play food that was everywhere.
They Were More Than Just Pretend Food
One of the things I especially liked about these sets was that they weren’t just about pretending to cook.
Kids were also practicing all sorts of skills without realizing they were learning.
They could:
- Practice cutting and hand-eye coordination
- Work on fine motor skills
- Learn about different foods
- Practice sorting and matching
- Learn colors and shapes
- Practice sharing and taking turns
- Use their imagination to create pretend meals
- Develop storytelling skills through pretend play
And honestly, that’s one of my favorite kinds of toys: the ones where kids are having so much fun that they don’t realize they’re learning something at the same time.
The Fruit Set Was One of My Favorites
The fruit slice set was particularly fun because it gave kids a bunch of different foods to cut, serve and play with.
It was easy to incorporate into a little pretend kitchen or grocery store game. One minute they were “shopping” for groceries and the next they were preparing a meal for everyone.
And there was something oddly satisfying about hearing that little rip of the Velcro every time they cut through a piece of fruit. 😂
The Cookie Set Was a Big Hit
Of course, you can’t have a pretend kitchen without cookies!
The cookie slice & bake set let the kids pretend they were making and serving cookies, which opened up an entirely different kind of pretend play.
They could be bakers, customers, restaurant owners—you name it.
I also loved that the pieces could be mixed into play with the other sets. It wasn’t like each toy had to be played with separately. The kids could combine everything and create their own little pretend kitchen world.
And Then There Was the Sandwich Set…
The sandwich slice set was another one we had a lot of fun with.
Kids could build their own sandwiches and then “cut” them apart. It seems like such a simple idea, but that’s exactly why these toys worked so well.
There weren’t complicated rules.
There wasn’t a screen telling them what to do.
There wasn’t even really a right or wrong way to play.
They just played.
And that’s something I appreciate even more now when I look back at the toys my kids had growing up.
Why Wooden Toys Just Felt Different
I also really appreciated the fact that these were wooden toys.
They felt sturdy. They weren’t the kind of toy where you were afraid the kids were going to snap something off the second they touched it.
And let’s be honest—when you have kids, durability matters!
The toys inevitably get thrown into toy boxes, carried from room to room, stepped on, dropped and generally treated like toys instead of museum pieces. 😂
The Melissa & Doug sets seemed to stand up pretty well to actual childhood.
The Kind of Toy I’d Buy Again
Looking back, these are the kinds of toys I would happily recommend to another parent.
They were simple, interactive and imaginative, and they didn’t require batteries, screens or a complicated instruction manual.
Just some wooden food, a little wooden knife and a kid with an imagination.
Sometimes the simplest toys really are the best.
And now that my kids are older, I have a whole new appreciation for those toys that kept them busy while also encouraging them to use their imaginations and actually play together.
If you’re looking for an old-school style pretend-play toy that encourages kids to interact with their food, practice cutting and sorting, and create their own little imaginary kitchen, the Melissa & Doug Slice & Sort sets are ones I would definitely put on the list.
These were a Mom-approved favorite in our house! ❤️
A Little Nostalgia…
It’s funny how certain toys immediately take you back.
I can look at these little wooden pieces now and instantly remember the kids being younger, playing kitchen, making pretend meals and slicing up their food over and over again.
They weren’t the fanciest toys we owned.
They weren’t electronic.
They didn’t light up or make noise.
But they were played with.
And honestly, those are the toys I remember most fondly.
Here are some of our favorites:
Melissa & Doug Fruit Slice Set
Melissa & Doug Cookie Slice & Bake Set
