Many children become familiar with shopping from an early age, but transactions often appear to take place by 'magic' as parents hand a small plastic card to the cashier and their purchases disappear into carrier bags.
It is important for children to develop an awareness of money and the vital role it plays in everyone's lives, and to do so they need first-hand, practical experience with real coins.
Adult-led activities
For sale
As a starting point for this project, read to the children The Great Pet Sale by Mick Inkpen. It's an amusing story guaranteed to stimulate children's curiosity about money. In the story, everything is a bargain: from the tiny terrapins at 2p each to a great big dragon for 25p. What's more, the one whiskered rat (only 1p) keeps popping up everywhere.
Key learning intentions
To show an understanding of the sequence of events in stories
To listen with enjoyment and respond to a story
To begin to understand and use the vocabulary related to money
Adult:child ratio 1:up to 8
Resources
The Great Pet Sale by Mick Inkpen (Hodder Children's Books, 5.99) ,Assorted soft animals, including a small furry grey rat ,Pet carriers and cardboard boxes ,Price labels ,Magnetic story props of the animals in the book and magnetic price labels ,Magnetic board or wedge ,Non-fiction books about pets
Preparation
* Gather together resources to support the story and store the soft toys in a story sack.
* Set up a stimulating interactive display to support the story, including the story book, information texts about pets, soft animals and price labels.
* Draw simple pictures to represent the animals in the book and print out price labels to match the prices of the animals in the book. Laminate these and attach magnetic tape.
Activity content
* During a group story time, show the children the cover of the book and ask them to predict the content.
* Read the story and ask the children open-ended questions.
* Discuss shopping, making choices and using money.
* Take the soft animals out of the sack, one at a time. Ask the children if they can remember how much each animal costs in the story. Let the children take turns to put the animals in the pet carriers or boxes, attaching the correct price label.
* Retell the story again, with the children joining in.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Cost, price, label, coins, money, penny, pennies, pence, pound, enough, more, less, how much? Animal names: terrapin, rat, koala bear, dragon, puffin, penguin Questions to ask
* Which is your favourite pet from the book? Why?
* Do you have a pet at home? What can you tell me about it?
* If you had 50p, which pet would you buy from the story? Why?
* If you were having a great pet sale, which animals would you sell?
Extension activities
* Plan opportunities for children to retell the story independently, using the soft animals from the group story time.
* Provide a magnetic wedge/board for the children to retell the story using magnetic card story props and price labels.
* With more able children, use real coins or 'mega money' (see Resources), and match these to the price labels and the animals.
* Create a simple role-play pet shop, with a cash register, real coins, the soft animals, labels, pet carriers and boxes.
* Choose a new title for a group version of the story, such as 'the great toy sale', and let the children choose their favourite toy to draw and select a price for it.
* Make shopping lists with words, pictures and prices. Introduce a writing format for a shopping list (see Resources).
* Look at 'special offer' leaflets with a group of children and discuss how much items cost.
Magic beans
Having fun counting 'magic' beans.
Key learning intentions
To begin to understand and use the vocabulary related to money
To compare two numbers or quantities
To work as part of a group, taking turns and sharing fairly
Adult:child ratio 1:4
Resources
Four money boxes ,Five magic beans (sprayed butter beans) ,Plastic beaker and a large flat plate ,Table with straight sides ,Treasure chest or jewellery box with 40 assorted coins from different countries
Preparation
* To make the magic beans, spray dried butter beans on one side with non-toxic metallic paint.
* Make a collection of assorted coins. Ask parents and carers for any loose change from holidays and visits abroad.
Activity content
* Gather the children together. Discuss the coins, and discuss their similarities and differences.
* Introduce the idea of the game. Explain that the children will take it in turns to throw the magic beans from the beaker on to the plate. For each bean that lands shiny side up, the child selects one coin from the treasure chest or jewellery box to post in their own money box. Some children will need to match a coin to each bean and others will count the beans.
Encourage the children to subitise, that is to predict accurately how many beans there are without counting. This will be easier if the beans are arranged in the patterns seen on dice.
* Continue the game until all the coins have been taken from the chest.
* Ask the children to empty the coins from their money boxes.
* Ask one child to make a line of coins along the edge of the table and encourage the other children to take turns to make a line alongside the first one. The child with the longest line is the winner.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Shorter, longer, more than, less than, the same as, different, currency, coin, magic bean, butter bean, treasure chest, jewellery box, money box, slot, post, count, predict, estimate, guess
Questions to ask
* What do you think these are?
* Where do you think they come from?
* Why do you think one side is shiny?
* Who do you think has the most coins? How can we check?
Extension activities
* Introduce a shove ha'penny board (available from traditional toy shops).
Use sets of five coins - starting with the traditional halfpenny coins, and introducing smaller and larger coins. Encourage the children to experiment to see which coins are easiest to fit between the lines.
* Introduce more magic beans, more coins and a set of stacking boxes with lids. Put some coins or some beans in each. Ask the children to predict what is in each and how many coins or beans there are. Count to confirm.
* Extend the idea of magic beans to 'heads' and 'tails'. The children take turns to toss five coins each, keeping each one that lands on 'heads'. With more able children, keep a written tally or score of the number of coins that land on 'heads'.
Child-initiated learning
Mark-making area
Additional resources
Thin white paper and assorted coloured sugar paper ,Thick crayons, including metallic colours ,Assorted coins ,Scissors Glue sticks
Possible learning experiences
* Exploring and investigating the coins.
* Experimenting with making coin rubbings.
* Drawing around the coins.
* Handling objects and tools with increasing control.
* Exploring colour, texture and shape.
* Counting, sorting or matching coins.
* Noticing similarities and differences between the coins.
The practitioner role
* Ensure the area looks interesting and stimulates children's interest in the activity.
* Demonstrate how to make coin rubbings.
* Introduce and reinforce vocabulary by naming coins and using descriptive language.
* Ask questions about the coins, such as 'Do you recognise any of them?'
and 'What pictures or symbols are on the coins?'
* Support the children's conversations, encouraging them to express preferences and make choices.
* Promote the children's autonomy through the independent use of materials and tools.
Role play
Additional resources
Cash register, assorted coins and plastic 'credit cards' ,Items for sale (ensure there are at least five of each item, and include small toys, books and other familiar objects) ,Signs, such as 'open' 'closed' 'everything 1' 'Pick up a bargain!' ,Shopping baskets, shopping bags, purses and carrier bags 3Plastic baskets and shelves
Possible learning experiences
* Using language to recreate roles and experiences.
* Making connections with experiences in their own lives.
* Using imagination in role play.
* Using the language of money.
* Sorting objects by size, shape and purpose.
* Predicting the number of objects and counting to confirm.
The practitioner role
* Create a role-play area based on the children's experiences of a familiar shop, such as a 'pound shop'. Display the items for sale, grouping the same things in baskets together.
* Act in role, as a customer or a salesperson.
* Support the children in the development of their creative role play.
* Introduce and use the language of money.
* Encourage children to sort the objects.
Sand play
Additional resources
Treasure chests ,Assorted coins and 'jewels' Small sieves and tea strainers ,Tweezers and sugar tongs.
Possible learning experiences
* Sorting or counting coins or other treasure.
* Refining fine motor skills as they pick up coins or treasure with tweezers or tongs.
* Interacting with others, taking turns and sharing.
* Using a widening vocabulary to describe what is happening.
* Using tools and equipment with increasing skill.
The practitioner role
* Prepare the clean, dry sand by adding glitter, assorted coins and other 'treasure'.
* Encourage the children to sieve the sand to see if they can find the hidden treasure.
* Ask questions about what the children are doing and why.
* Observe the children's play.
Imaginative play
Additional resources
,Assorted purses and money boxes (ask families to lend some from home) ,Assorted coins ,Small pieces of paper and pencils.
Possible learning experiences
* Making connections with own experiences.
* Building piles of coins.
* Developing fine motor skills as they open and close poppers and zips on the purses, and when they post the coins into the money boxes.
* Filling and emptying purses and money boxes.
* Sorting, matching and counting coins.
* Using imagination in their play.
* Writing shopping lists.
The practitioner role
* Introduce vocabulary to describe the purses or money boxes.
* Encourage children to notice similarities and differences.
* Support the children's discussions about the purses and money boxes, and what they are doing.
* Act as a scribe for the children.
Malleable play
Additional resources
,Play dough with added glitter and scent (strawberry, mint or lemon)
,Assorted coins ,Cake cases ,Bun trays ,Birthday candles Rolling pins and cutters ,Round red beads
Possible learning experiences
* Rolling and cutting dough.
* Making cakes.
* Investigating the play dough.
* Recalling events in their own lives.
* Chanting favourite rhymes, such as 'Pat a cake, pat a cake' or 'Five currant buns in a baker's shop'.
* Counting cakes.
* Pressing the coins into the dough to make patterns.
The practitioner role
* Support the children in retelling the rhymes, emphasise the line 'along came...? with a penny one day, bought a currant bun and took it right away'.
* Ask questions about what the children are doing and why.
* Encourage the children to decorate the cakes with candles or bead 'cherries'.
Judith Stevens is an early years adviser at Lewisham Education in London
Resources
* The Great Pet Sale by Mick Inkpen (Hodder Children's Books, 5.99)
* Mega money - five sets of eight huge laminated coins (9.50)
* Colossal cards - 24 giant laminated cards, including a cheque, credit card, debit card, phone card and many more (14.00) Both available from BEAM Education, www.beam.co.uk
* Big money purse and magnetic Euro coins (19.95)
* Magnetic money pack (17.50)
* Self-inking coin stamps (24.95)
* Solar-powered calculator cash register - Sterling or Euro currency (Pounds 31.95)
All from NES Arnold, www.nesarnold.co.uk
