Objective

By the end of this lesson, the 2-year-old student will have an understanding of the grocery store and its different sections.

Materials and Prep

• Empty cardboard boxes
• Toy fruits and vegetables
• Toy shopping cart or basket
• Blanket or large cloth
• Optional: Play money or pretend credit card

Before starting the lesson, make sure the student is familiar with basic fruits and vegetables.

Activities

• Create a Mini Grocery Store: Set up a pretend grocery store using the empty cardboard boxes as shelves and the toy fruits and vegetables as products. Place the items on the shelves and encourage the student to explore and pretend to shop.
• Go on a Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt: Lay out a blanket or large cloth on the floor to represent the grocery store. Hide the toy fruits and vegetables around the "store" and ask the student to find specific items. For example, "Can you find the apple?" or "Where is the carrot?"
• Pretend Shopping Trip: Use the toy shopping cart or basket and take the student on a pretend shopping trip around the house. Encourage them to pick out items from their pretend grocery store and place them in the cart or basket.

Talking Points

• "A grocery store is a place where we can buy food and other things we need."
• "We can find different sections in a grocery store, like the fruit and vegetable section, the dairy section, and the snack section."
• "Fruits and vegetables are healthy foods that help us grow strong."
• "We can put items we want to buy in a shopping cart or basket."
• "Sometimes we need to pay for the things we want to buy. We can use pretend money or a pretend credit card."
• "Going to the grocery store is a fun way to get the things we need for our meals."