Tips for a 2nd grade pretend store?

Could it be structured as several shops within the classroom (possibly with the students in shop-based groups), to allow for multiple students to act as store owners at the same time, this giving each more of a chance to experience both sides of the coin? If you’ll excuse the pun

Oh fun! That’s always my favorite part of teaching..coming up with those ideas!

@GrayTax… that’s a good idea for older kids but… have you ever taught in a 2nd grade classroom? Those kids are hyper nuts who have to tell you every little thing somebody is doing WRONG and somebody is ALWAYS doing something WRONG!!! I don’t know that separate stores would work.

Hmmmm…How about after a kid buys something it is then their turn behind the counter. Perhaps you could have 2 or may 3 “clerks” at a time, and they could just move down until they cycle out and get back in line to buy something?

What things are you going to “sell?”

I have to be honest @Dutchess_III, I’ve not ever taught in a professional capacity. I understand your point though and it’s a very good one.

Rotating the clerks is a good idea, and certainly negates any need for multiple stores!

Is it possible that “selling” something physical that the students could keep (fruit/juice/origami or whatever) would get them to pay more attention and reinforce their learning experience?

Like for example, you might provide them with the “money” and have a selection of fruit juice cartons they could purchase. They may feel more positive about the idea in general if they get something tangible out of it, and a positive learning experience can definitely (in my my experience at least) makes things stick better.

Or single crayons, or small pieces of candy. Erasers, crackers…..

This might give you some ideas:

http://store.ncee.net/classroom-mini-economy.html

How about making it a pretend bank, instead? This way, the children will learn how a bank functions, what checks are for, and how debit and credit cards work. Someone could be a bank teller and exchange money. They could also be taught the value of saving money in a savings account and why money is so important not to waste.

You could also include how money is exchanged for food at the grocery store and why keeping an accurate checkbook is so important.

Good luck.

You can get nice cheap prizes at oriental.com. I love that site when I need to reward large groups of kids.

You can “sell” cheap little toys like bouncy balls or small pieces of candy/other food. @Dutchess_III‘s idea is good as well, having a couple of “clerks” at a time that cycle out so they can learn that experience also rather than just having the buying experience.

Make sure the rules are clear: no cutting in line, no pushing, no fighting over the merchandise, stuff like that.

My daughter is in second grade and her teacher does this. We received a letter from her teacher the week before school started that included a fake $1 bill and a message for the students to bring the $1 to class on the first day. My daughter was very excited to learn what the dollar was for.

The students earn a $1 for good deeds and good grades. One day each month the students can trade in their money for items from the store. My daughter bought a really cute pirate ship craft kit (a cheap kit from Walmart or dollar general) with her money she had saved up. Other items she has bought are pencils, stickers and cool erasers. She really enjoys saving her fake money for shopping day. She’s a good student, but I’m sure it gives her extra incentive to be helpful and good in class.

I think you need a “penny” cup, so they dont freak out when they dont have enough. they can leave a penny, take a penny…..

Thanks for your excitement in teaching.

Thanks for all the ideas, everyone! I’m thinking of one class store. We’ll come up with a name for it together. I think they can handle the idea of it being pretend, so that at the end of the day all the purchased items must go back onto the shelf in the store. That will be easier (and more affordable!!) for me than having them keep their purchases, plus we can have a wider range of prices by including more “expensive” items.

Maybe we’ll do some whole-class store activities together (learning how to count the correct amount, learning how to make change, adding the price of 2 items together, etc.). Then during their independent centers time, perhaps one table group at a time can have their turn (10 min. or so) at the store. The groups are 3 or 4 students, and I could assign one student per day from each group to be the owner/cashier. That way within a week everyone would have a chance to be the cashier. Also this means only 2–3 students would actually be “shopping” at a given time, limiting wait time and crowding.

I love the idea of a penny cup. Also having a separate bank teller would be great – that way the students could exchange coins/bills if necessary, and could get more money if they run out (I’ll limit the number of times they can get more!).

Now I have to find a toy cash register somewhere…I wish I had some little shopping baskets…and xerox a ton of play money…I wonder if I need to laminate it – whew, lots of work! Should be fun though.

Keep the feedback/ideas comin’!