Here's what's included:
Instructions
Shopping Items List
8 Different Shopping Lists
Money Cheat Sheet
Named Price Tags
Blank Price Tags
Price Cheat Sheet
Scanner
Play Money
Here is how you do the Activity:
Supplies Needed:
Pantry Items- Included in this packet. If you don't have something on the list, cross it off or use something else.
Price Tags- Included in this packet.
Shopping Cart- if you don’t have one, you can use a bucket or basket. My son used his toy car.
Cash register- you could buy a fake kids cash register, if you don’t have one. We used our little kids piano and our imagination.
"Scanner"- We also pretended to have a scanner. A paper one is included in this packet on the last page.
Calculator- if you aren’t fast at counting, like me, it helps to add up the totals. Also another viable option to use for a cash register.
Money- Play money is included in this packet, or you can use real money. You'll need (per person) dollar bills (probably about 3), quarters (about 10), dimes (about 15-20), nickels (about 20-30), and pennies (about 40).
Shopping Bags- If you collect your plastic bags from the store, those are great. Or if you want, you could teach your kids to recycle and use the reusable bags.
Tables, chairs, couch, or ottoman- anything you can turn your living room, dining room, or kitchen into a grocery store
Instructions:
- First pull out all your shopping items from your pantry- as listed on the next page.
- Turn your room into a grocery store- We used tables, chairs, and the furniture, and just moved them around to resemble isles.
- Line up your items on the isles.
- Label your items with price tags- included in this packet.
- Find a separate place for the "check out". We did our dining room table. Have a place for your "scanner", "cash register", and bags.
- It’s helpful to have a list of all the grocery items and their corresponding price so that you can access it easily at the register. That cheat sheet in this packet.
- Use the shopping lists included for the kids to gather items.
- Have them use the cash to buy the items.
- Have them check out, pay their bill, and package up their groceries- When we did it, I added up all the groceries according to the price tags. I used my cheat sheet of what all the items cost so I could refer to it as I went. (there is also one included in this packet).
Tips: I gave my daughter a total, and helped her work through counting the money and, if needed, gave her change back. We kept a pile of bought groceries in the corner, and my husband and I took turns restocking them when we had time. We just kept reusing the money.
To learn more about how we did this activity you can read the post: Grocery Store Shopping Activity.