Math – Open A Store

Pick out some household items to be sold at your store. Use masking tape and a marker to affix price tags to the items. Give some money of varying denominations to the shopper(s) and some also to the cashier. Shoppers will take several items to the cashier who will add up the total on a calculator. Shoppers will then use their money to purchase the items and the cashier will make change. If a shopper is placed in a situation of having chosen items that cost more money than he or she has, discuss ways of solving the problem.

The number of items and the prices on each item should be adapted to the learning level of the child-fewer items with prices in easy to calculate denominations for beginning learners. More advanced learners can be encouraged to use estimation (more than 50 cents round up to the next dollar, less than 50 cents round down). Beginning learners may prefer to be shoppers only, advanced learners will be willing to cashier as well as shop.

Children who actually handle money find it much easier to process these concepts in a school setting where the best that can be offered is paper punch-out pictures of money or plastic replicas. Hey, we all find life more meaningful when we are holding real money in our hands! Seriously, children love to play store and it is a wonderful learning experience. Have fun.