Build a town.
Stay for dinner.

01   Set out what you have

For the town: two or three clean empty food boxes, scrap paper or cardboard, crayons, tape, and child-safe scissors. A large sheet of packing paper or the back of a paper bag makes a road. Toy cars are optional.

For supper: bread or rolls, cheese, favorite ready-to-eat fillings, and a fruit or vegetable. Use what your family enjoys.

02   Build the neighborhood

1. Set the boxes on the table and decide together: Which one is a home? Which one is the sandwich shop?
2. Draw doors and windows on scrap paper. Tape them to the boxes. An adult handles any box cutting; drawing a door works just as well.
3. Draw a road around the buildings. Add a park, library, or one place your town needs. Give the town a name.
4. Take a walk through your tiny neighborhood. Each person chooses a character and tells one short story about where they are going.

Short on time? Make just one shop and one road. It still counts as a town.

03   Open the sandwich shop

1. Put bread, fillings, and fruit on the table. An adult prepares anything that needs a knife.
2. Let someone take the first order on a scrap-paper menu. Switch roles so everyone gets to host.
3. Make simple sandwiches together, then close the shop and sit down to eat.

Choose fillings that suit your household’s dietary needs. Keep perishable fillings chilled until supper.