It’s time to put all those empty cereal boxes, egg cartons, bottles and jars to good use…make a “Shop”! Playing shop is a wonderful and fun way for children to use their imagination. They will have as much fun making the shop, as they will playing in it.
You can use some old boxes, coffee table, benches or even the floor for your Shop. Collect empty food boxes (or full ones that you don’t mind being used in this way), and use these to stock your shop. You can make food items that you don’t have (draw some meat, or make a cake or sausages from playdough).
Here’s a shop I made at home
You can make a sign for your shop. Make price tags (children might like to have a go writing the numbers). You can make money – use leaves as notes and stones or shells as coins. Or, you might like to get a coin make a rubbing of it. (notice the different animals on the coins, and the numbers)
The coin is under the paper, and I softly went over it with a pencil
You can put your money into a Cash Register (or empty box or container). Even a calculator is fun to press all those numbers and can be a cash register or credit card machine. Use old receipts, and bags.
Once you’re in your shop, you might like to sort things into similar colours, or sizes. You could arrange them from smallest to largest.