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Playing Store
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The Tale of Ginger and Pickles by Beatrix Potter serves as a good
introduction to the ins and outs of managing and shopping at a store. Help
your child open and run a play store as a way to teach some of these
concepts. |
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How you can set up your store:
Decide what you are going to sell. Toy food items and empty containers
such as cans, cartons, and bottles can be goods for a grocery store. You
might also sell dress-up or doll clothes in a clothing store, stuffed
animals in a pet store, or toy cups and dishes in a housewares store.
Figure out how best to display the items for sale. Use tables, bookcases,
and cardboard boxes to create an organized store area.
Make signs to label and price each kind of item.
If you do not have a play cash register, use a cardboard box with dividers
in it to store money and a calculator or a pad of paper and a pencil to
total bills. If you do not have play money, you can use buttons or real
coins and paper money.
What you can talk about:
Figure out how much different items should cost.
Discuss ways the items for sale can be sorted into groups.
Practice manners by taking turns role-playing a polite customer and a
helpful salesperson.
Practice writing by making a shopping list and crossing off each item.
Identify coin names and values.
Practice addition and subtraction skills by totaling bills and making
change.
For older children, discuss how checkbooks and credit cards work. Note
what happens to Ginger and Pickles when they extend too much credit to their
customers!
For older children, discuss supply and demand. Point out how Tabitha
Twitchit raises her prices after Ginger and Pickles close their store and
talk about why Sally Henny-pennys store does so well.
Literature Link:
Grandpa's Corner Store by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan is another book that
explores the relationship between a store and a community.
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