In order to strengthen our math skills (and because dramatic play is fun), we played a shopping game! We used this fantastic resource from Teachers Pay Teachers. Alternatively, this addition game could be played with real props (cart, play food, register, the works), but for the sake of space this is just fine.
Game Play
One person is the cashier. The other(s) become the shopper(s). The first mat contains the food price list. The second mat has the foods to choose between. I told our shopper she may pick three to four items for her shopping basket.
After the foods have been chosen, the shopper takes them to the “check out” tray. Then she asks, “How much is the ____,” and the cashier finds and reads the price from the first mat. My kids, despite many repetitions of the teen boards and nine layouts et al, still need some extra practice with this work.
Then the shopper uses the stamp game to build each number.
Click the video below to see it in action:
Then the cashier records all the prices (and recounts the tiles — more practice. Woot).
The game proceeds in typical stamp game fashion: put all the units together and see if they need to be exchanged for tens. Puts the tens together to see if we need to bump up to the next place value and so on.
This game obviously can be adapted in so many ways. Practice decimal work; use real coins; use golden beads; try larger numbers or more simple values. Start with a set amount and have the kids subtract the value and see how much they have left. Or have them buy 2 vegetables and 3 fruits with whatever money they start with. Use the same item (we’re going to use donuts) to show multiplication and division. Use a restaurant, toy shop, or bakery dramatic play set. So many ideas!
Happy to have yet another math extension in our repertoire. One of my top homeschool goals for Josie is real world math. Think we are off to a wonderful start.
