The School Age 1 group has continued their interest in dramatic play. To expand their interest, I set up a pretend grocery store complete with a “cash register” as the children requested for it, and a variety of play food and grocery items. The children had gathered around the kitchen play area in the classroom, excited to start their game of shopping. “I want to use the cash register first.”, Adain exclaimed. “I want to be a customer and buy my groceries.” Jahmanuel said. It seemed that everyone wanted a turn to be the cashier. We decided that we would all take turns.
As the children began their game, each child took turns pretending to be a customer, selecting items from the shelves and bringing them to the cash register to check out. They practiced counting and sorting as they arranged their items, developed their communication skills while deciding which item they wanted to buy and which one they could do without.
Jahmanuel approached the cash register with some grocery items, placed each item on the counter and watched as the cashier scanned them. He said “How much is this stuff?”. Adain replied “It’s a hundred dollars.” Jenica added “It’s too much.” Jahmanuel said “I have only 10 dollars.” Adain said “It’s okay you can pay 10 dollars.” Olivia, Jenica, Carter, Neveah, and Emilia were taking a few more rounds of shopping. They talked about the different items they had bought, and they shared stories about their favourite food, and snacks. “I love ice cream.” Emilia exclaimed. Neveah said “I love pizza.” As they talked amongst themselves, the children practiced their communication and social skills, learning to listen to each other’s ideas. They also learned about different foods.
Overall, the children had so much fun while engaging in pretend play with the cash register and the grocery items. They strengthened their friendships and social bonds. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore the world around them and develop their imagination and creativity. They practised being patient and waiting for their turns to be cashiers. They also learned about fairness and equality, as everyone had an equal chance to play both roles.
