An Afternoon Tea for Children

An Imaginary Tea for Toddlers

Young children are fascinated by tea parties, and rightly so because a tea party is a visual and tactile delight. However, a full-blown adult tea party, such as our Mother’s Day Tea, is far too complex for pre-school children to appreciate.

Fortunately, young children have active imaginations, and they love to play pretend. They would enjoy an imaginary tea party as much as a real one. The activity we are suggesting is not a tea party at all, but a game. A pretend tea party can provide hours of fun for both the child and the adult, and it can pave the way for the life-long enjoyment of real tea parties to come.

There are three elements in an adult tea party that naturally attract children:

1. The sparkling decorative serving pieces, especially silver trays, pedestals and tiered cake stands

2. The tiny snacks, just the right size for a child’s fingers, and always quite visually attractive and tasty

3. The game-like processes and interactions that comprise a tea party

Toy manufacturers are well aware that children love tea parties, and a wide variety of children’s tea sets are available for purchase. These would make nice gifts for children who could then play tea party alone or with other children. However, most commercial children’s tea sets are geared only toward girls, are invariably pink plastic and covered with pictures of princesses. We think this approach narrows a child’s understand of Afternoon Tea.

First of all, the custom of sharing Afternoon Tea has always been open to both men and women, and there is no reason why little boys shouldn’t enjoy a pretend tea party. Secondly, we believe that with adult supervision, children can play with real tea objects, including silver tea sets, without harming themselves or the serving pieces.

Getting the real linen napkins out of the drawer and taking the elegant three-tiered pastry server out of the cabinet can add an air of excitement and adventure. This process can also provide the adult with the opportunity to teach the children the rudiments of tea party decorum and respect for the beauty and delicacy of the tea objects themselves. Carefully putting the serving pieces away can also be part of the game.

Once the tea objects have been assembled, all that will be needed for the child’s imagination to soar is a few small snacks such as dried cranberries or graham crackers to place on the beautiful serving pieces. The child will be more than happy to pretend that he is pouring tea into your cup and adding cream or sugar from the lovely (but empty) cream pitcher and sugar bowl. If the child seems interested, you can also include flower arranging, decorating the room or playing music as part of the game.

Don’t forget that once the game begins, the child is in charge, and you are simply her companion on this journey of the imagination.