A grocery store theme can be incorporated into other lesson plans or topics, such as nutrition, neighbourhood and community. The subject can last for weeks in an early childhood curriculum as the departments of a grocery store become the weekly themes. The following article provides some ideas on how to set up a grocery store theme in a preschool setting.
A Grocery Store Field Trip and Drama Play Set-Up
To begin a theme all around a grocery store, the best introduction is to visit a local store like Safeway or Save-On. Book a time with the manager when the children can receive a tour around the store, including behind the scenes. The more departments within the store, the longer and more interesting the tour will be. So, if possible choose a grocery store that has departments like deli, bakery and meat.
A grocery theme in a preschool setting must have a drama play area set up like a grocery store to allow children to continue in the learning process through social play. This ties in very well after the field trip when the children have observed all the workers and customers in a real store.
The Produce Department: Preschool Game
Fruits and vegetables is a theme that includes so many possibilities for a preschool curriculum, and many ideas may be borrowed from a nutrition preschool lesson plan. A preschool game to play is called fruit basket. Create pairs of fruit pictures on small cards. In a circle, each child receives one fruit picture. Then the teacher calls out the name of a fruit pair and those two children with the matching fruit will stand up and change seats. Among the pair switch, the teacher calls out "fruit basket' and everyone stands up and changes spots in the circle. When the game is finished, the teacher can take her basket and collect the cards from each child asking the child to tell her what fruit is in his/her hand.
The Bakery Department: Preschool Cooking and Felt Board Activity
For the bakery department, make five donuts or cookies out of felt and use on a flannel board with the following song. Allow one child at a time to buy the item from the bakery shop.
Five cookies in the bakery shop
Round and sugary with icing on the top
Along came (child's name) with some money one day
He bought a yummy cookie and he ate it right away.
A preschool cooking activity is to allow children to ice and decorate their very own cookie
The Flower Department: Preschool Craft
An easy craft for a flower theme is to cut out a flower shape for each child with a mini cupcake liner to glue into the middle. Each flower can be glued onto a popsicle stick with a leaf or two for the stem.
Another fun flower craft is to do allow children to paint with empty thread spools which make flower like stamps.
The Meat Department: Preschool Song and Craft
One suggestion for this department is to make meatballs for a plate of spaghetti. Each child will be given a paper plate and a drawing of spaghetti to glue onto the plate. Then children can cut out meatballs from red construction paper and glue them onto the spaghetti. A great song to correlate with this craft is the classic song, On Top of Spaghetti. The written lyrics can be found in the article Restaurant Theme Day.
There are so many other things to program plan within a grocery store theme. The topic is very broad allowing for many ideas and learning opportunities for young children in any early childhood environment
Christine Moore - Early Childhood Educator, Preschool/Daycare Resources, Online Workshop Instructor, ECE, BGS
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