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Playing store is one of my boys favorite pretend play activities. Everything in the house is turned into merchandise and they either make their own money out of paper or use the money in their piggy banks (which is not a good idea). The Learning Resources Smart Market (for ages 3+) is a perfect starter kit for any little aspiring shopkeeper.
This 90 piece set, includes a sturdy shopping basket, a variety of play food items boxes and “cans”, play bills, coins, price tags, a shopping list and even coupons!
The pretend money resembles real bills, so the little ones are really learning to recognize the bills/coins as well as true value. The Learning Resources Smart Market is being used in my house by my 4 year old as well as my older children who’re 7 and 9 years old.
Here are a three ideas to use the Learning Resources Smart Market to teach the concept of money.
- Have the children set up the “store”, distribute money between the children and the older child can be the cashier, while the younger one(s) shop for items. Use a set price for all store items, like $1. The cashier is responsible for giving a total, collecting the correct amount and returning change.
- Assign store items different prices, distribute money and have children shop for items. Children are responsible to give cashier the exact amount of their items.
- For older children, use the coupons that come with the set and have them use mental math to figure out the lower prices of the items that are “on sale”.
The Learning Resources Pretend & Play Calculator Cash Register is a great addition to this set and can be used as a calculator to figure out totals as well as storage for the money.