Cut it out! This is the perfect toy for any aspiring chef!

As Froot Loop grew into preschooler age, his dexterity and curiosity grew too. One of his favorite things to do is to help me in the kitchen. He has a set of nylon knives that he LOVES to cut up soft foods with. Since he loves this so much, we bought him the Melissa and Doug cutting food set.

 It’s a 30 piece set of painted wooden pieces that have velcro tabs. The Velcro holds the pieces together and allows for easily cutting with the wood knife. 

 
The foods in the set are an apple that can be cut in half, a pepper that goes into 4 pieces, a 3 piece tomato (two ends and a middle slice), butter, a cucumber that has 4 slices, a carrot that is cut in half lengthwise, a few pieces of bread, a loaf of bread, and a 4 piece watermelon. There is a cute little wooden cutting board and also a wood knife in the set. The whole thing comes in a nice wooden crate that can be used as storage. 

 
This set is a lot of fun and appeals to sensory development. Each piece has bright colors and can help with recognition of familiar foods. The velcro coming apart gives a nice “slicing” sound, just like cutting real food in the kitchen. The pieces all have a “heft” to them which promotes tactile development too. 

 
All of the foods are compatible with the Melissa and Doug kitchen, which is a nice plus. He can cut the foods on the countertop of the kitchen and store the food in or on the shelves. 

 
Another great thing about this set is that it promotes fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. We’ve also used it for counting, and I plan on introducing fractions when I think Froot Loop can handle it. We have also used these pieces to sort by color, food type, and more.

 
This set is frequently asked for in our house. Froot Loop will set up all the foods, then one by one, cut them apart, serve and plate them, pretend to eat, and then put it all back together and put it away. His favorite piece is the watermelon. 

 
Occasionally he will have a little trouble getting the knife positioned just right to get the foods cut, but usually a quick readjustment and he’s okay. The carrot is the hardest to cut because it has two pieces of velcro on it and therefore is the most “sticky”. 

 
As with most Melissa and Doug products, this toy is made to last. The craftsmanship and quality is second to none and I’m sure we will have these pieces around for our grandkids to play with also. It will grow with my kids, and that is very important also. 

 
I love that this toy combines cooking, learning, and science all in one. Education and fun do go hand in hand, you know!

 
What is your favorite fruit?