Core Skills Analysis
Mathematics
Ada set up a pretend pet shop and used a cash till calculator to handle play money. She identified and counted different UK coins and notes, matching each to its value. By writing receipts and calculating totals, Ada practiced addition and subtraction with amounts up to £10. This activity helped her develop confidence in place value and basic money arithmetic.
English (Writing & Communication)
Ada collaborated with an adult to write price lists for each pet and to produce receipts for customers. She spelled out item names, used numerals for prices, and included punctuation such as commas and full stops. Through this, Ada practiced structuring simple sentences and organizing information in a clear, legible format. The experience reinforced her ability to convey transactional language in written form.
Tips
Extend Ada's pet shop by inviting friends to role‑play as customers, encouraging spoken negotiation and polite request phrases. Introduce a budgeting challenge where Ada must decide how to spend a set amount of play money on supplies for the shop, fostering decision‑making skills. Create a mini‑market day where Ada records sales in a simple ledger, then graphs weekly earnings to link math with data handling. Finally, incorporate storytime about entrepreneurs to spark curiosity about how real shops operate.
Book Recommendations
- Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money by Emily Jenkins: A charming tale of two friends who learn to count coins and make change while selling lemonade, perfect for reinforcing money concepts.
- The Berenstain Bears' Trouble with Money by Stan & Jan Berenstain: The Bear family learns the value of saving and spending wisely, offering relatable lessons for young learners.
- Shopkeeper Sam and the Mystery of the Missing Coins by Megan G. O’Leary: A mystery adventure set in a shop that encourages children to practice counting, making change, and writing simple receipts.
Learning Standards
- Math – Number and Place Value (Key Stage 1): 1.NS.1 – Recognise the value of coins and notes up to £2.
- Math – Money (Key Stage 2): 3.NS.5 – Add and subtract amounts involving money, make change.
- English – Writing (Key Stage 1): 1.W.1 – Use capital letters, full stops and simple punctuation.
- English – Spelling (Key Stage 1): 1.W.2 – Spell high‑frequency words correctly in context.
- PSHE – Money Management (Early Years Foundation Stage): EYFS.PSHE.4 – Begin to understand the purpose of money.
Try This Next
- Worksheet: Match each UK coin to its value and draw a picture of the coin.
- Quiz: Give Ada a list of prices; ask her to calculate total cost and change due for a £5 note.
- Drawing task: Design a colorful price tag for a new pet and write a short description.
- Writing prompt: “If I owned a pet shop, I would sell… and my favourite animal would be… because…”.