Create your own grocery store and purchase items using coins.
Grades: 2nd grade and up
Materials: different types of coins, various toys or small household items, sticky notes or index cards, marker, tape, paper, pencil, grocery bag
Time: 30 to 60 minutes
Steps:
- Collect different types of coins and various toys or household items.
- Using a sticky note or index card, write a price for each household item (pencil = 25¢).
- Collect spare coins or create your own coins by cutting out circles and labeling them (1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, and 50¢).
- With a friend or family member, take turns shopping for household items. One person is the shopper, who selects the items they want to buy. One person is the cashier, who counts the total cost of the items.
- Use the coins to count out the correct amount to buy the items. Write the total on a piece of paper or a “receipt”.
For additional fun, give the shopper a certain amount of money before they begin. This is their “budget”, or the amount of money they can spend on items. They will have to decide which items they want to buy based on their budget. They cannot spend more than their budget.