"I like shopping," said Quinn one day while she put food into a basket in the dramatic play centre. "It makes me happy."
"I go shopping my daddy," said Callum.
An overheard conversation between the children started a new activity in the toddler room.
After hearing the children discussing shopping, the Educators invited families to bring in empty containers/boxes to assist in turning our dramatic play center in to a shop. After discussions with the children they decided that they would like a grocery store. As adults we see grocery shopping as a chore and something to rush through, the children however showed us the many ways that grocery shopping provides learning opportunities and gave them a way to demonstrate their knowledge.
When Ophelia saw the cash register she started to collect some of the money and stack it in the drawer. However, she picked up a piece of paper and put it in the slot at the top; wondering what she was doing we observed her actions. Once Ophelia had the paper in the slot she took some money out of the till and then removed the paper which she handed to Debbie. "is this my change and receipt?" Debbie’s asked. "yes" Ophelia replied.
Robbie and Kayden went shopping together and started to fill their bags with groceries. Kayden became frustrated because he had more food than would fit in the bag. "What do you need?" asked Vanesa. "big bag," Kayden replied. "oh, your groceries don't fit in your shopping bag. We can look for a bigger bag, would that help?" Vanessa asked. "Yes," Kayden said. Then they went to find bigger shopping bags which fit the food. When Robbie got frustrated that his groceries didn’t fit Kayden showed him the bigger bags and together they bagged the groceries.
As the children heard words being used by the older Toddlers, often some of the younger children expanded their vocabulary. Liliana proudly announced that she had "milk" and "money", and when Isla was asked what she had she held out her hand and said "pepper."
We must remember that not all communication is in words. Dante was shopping when Quinn, Callum and Carina were sitting together at nearby table. "what did you buy?' asked Quinn to Callum and Carina. As they started to compare items Dante went and sat with them. He began to take his groceries out of his bag and show them what he had bought. As he held up each item he smiled when they named it for him.
Using books to help the children make meaning of their experiences was another way in which the educators help the children belong. Debbie brought in Barney and Baby Bop go shopping which uses real pictures that highlight the activities associated with shopping. The children noticed items that we were using in their store were the same as the ones in the book. They saw scales for weighing food, grocery lists, money, shopping bags, baskets, and a cash register.
The children showed us that they learn so much by participating and watching everyday life. We were able to use their knowledge to help expand on their play so they could learn more about the world around them. When out shopping with your children, take the time to include them in selecting snacks. Also, give them a list that they can shop for and find ways to introduce new vocabulary to them. It is amazing what we can learn from our everyday life!
