A Circle of Make-Believe Learning Game for Preschool Children
THE STORE GAME
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GOALS: What Children Will Learn
• Practicing letters
• Practicing words: cash register, cashier, customer, buy, sell, price, cost
• Practicing counting
• Practicing politeness and taking turns

Store Game from Circle of Make-Believe video.
1. WHAT YOU NEED
"MATERIALS" FROM THIS WEB SITE:
• Letters
• Pretend Dollars
FROM YOUR HOME OR SCHOOL:
• A small box or tray for a make-believe cash register
• Table or box for check-out counter, and paper bags
• Items to sell: books, blocks, toys, dress-up items, boxes or milk cartons, plates, cups or spoons. Choose at least two items with the same first letter (such as book & ball), and two items with a different first letter (such as car & cup)
2. BEFORE YOU PLAY
• Ask children to name the store. Make a sign.
• Explain the words: cash register, cashier, customer, buy, sell, price, cost.
• Help children make a pretend cash register.
• Choose items to sell. Make a label and price tag for each item. Include two items with the same first letter, and two items with a different first letter. TIP: Some children might not know alphabet letters yet. Use the game to help them start to recognize letters and their sounds.
• Print Pretend Dollars, or make your own.
• Take turns playing the cashier and customer(s).
3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PLAYING THE GAME
(Help children practice the words in red)

TELL THE STORY:
We have a make-believe store. Who will be the cashier that works in the store and sells things? Who will be the customer(s) that buy things with money? Let’s take turns.

PLAY THE GAME:

  1. Set Up the Store: Ask children to describe what we need for our store: customers, cashier, cash register and things to sell. Help children arrange items to sell along with their labels and price tags. Use the Letters to help children say the first letter of each item.
  2. Open the Store: The cashier announces the store is open and turns the “Closed” sign to “Open.”
  3. Choose Items to Buy (Practicing Politeness): The cashier stands behind the cash register and asks a customer, “May I help you?” The customer says, “Yes, please, I want to buy a ... (names item).” The cashier says, “Yes, we have that,” or, “No, I’m sorry, we don’t sell that.”
  4. Paying: Each customer brings an item to the cashier.The customer asks the price or cost of the item. The cashier says the price (1 to 10 dollars).The customer counts out the Pretend Dollars aloud and gives them to the cashier. The cashier rings up the sale on the cash register, puts the item in a paper bag and says, “Thank you.”
  5. Close the Store: After all customers buy their items, the cashier counts money in the cash register, puts it in a safe place, and closes the pretend store.
  6. Then Play the Store Game with Rhyming Words: Choose items to sell that are words that rhyme (such as, “Bat,” “Cat,” “Hat” and “Mat.”) Make a label for each item. Ask children to say the rhyming words. Help children point to and say the different first letter of each word on the Letters page. Play the Store Game with the new rhyming items.