For Children

For Nursery and Reception (3-5 year olds)

Shopping

Introduction/Starters

Shopping is a familiar activity to most children. Real life experiences can be incorporated into these activities as well as opportunities for pretend play. Use what you have available, and what your child is aware of. You don't need to go out and buy specific items.

Writing Activities

You can download templates in pdf format for the writing activities, if you wish.

Activity 1: Shopping List

(33 kb)

Create a shopping list, eg for a birthday party; going on holiday to a hot/cold country; a celebration meal; buying a complete set of clothes; buying furniture for a particular room.

	Activity 2: Signs	(26 kb)
	Activity 2: Labels	(27 kb)

Make a pretend shop. Create an 'open' and 'closed' sign that can be hung up (on a door handle for example); give your shop a name - eg 'Sarah's Supermarket'; label your produce (you could save old boxes and cartons, or stick new labels over tins and containers you have around the home). The shop could be any short of shop - a shoe shop, a supermarket, a pet shop, a jewellers, a clothes shop, to name but a few!

Activity 3: Template for 'cheques'

(37 kb)

Paying for items bought by writing out a 'cheque'.

Extension Activities

• Make a list of all the shops you can think of.
• Design a shopping centre, labelling each area in the centre - eg clothes shops; shoppers' creche; toilets; food area; etc.
• Design a carrier bag (or 'bag for life'), giving it an interesting name.
• Go for a walk and discover signs and symbols within your local area - eg the sign for McDonalds, or a road sign.
• Fill in old order forms from catalogues or magazines.

What will my child have gained from this experience?

They will learn that we record things for very practical reasons, eg the shopping list is an aid to memory. They will also learn that writing conveys information - the shop is open/closed. They will learn that writing can be about real or pretend experiences.