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Lesson Plan: My Very Own Market Adventure!

Materials Needed

A variety of "store" items: empty food boxes (cereal, pasta, crackers), washed cans, play food, or even toys and books.
Play money: A good mix of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and $1 bills.
A small table or desk to serve as the checkout counter.
A toy cash register or a simple box/drawer to hold the money.
Sticky notes or small pieces of paper for price tags.
A marker or crayon for writing prices.
A shopping basket or reusable bag.
Optional: A homemade sign for the store's name, an apron for the cashier.

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

This is the creative setup phase where you build your store together.

Brainstorm a Name: Start by asking, "If we were going to open our very own grocery store, what would we call it?" Help the student create and decorate a sign for their store.
Stock the Shelves: Gather your items from around the house. Arrange them on a low bookshelf, on the floor, or on chairs to create "aisles." Talk about where things go in a real store (e.g., "Let's put all the cold food together!").
Set the Prices: This is a key step! Using the sticky notes, work together to price the items. Keep it simple and focus on numbers the child is comfortable with.
- Tip: Use easy-to-add amounts like 5¢, 10¢, 15¢, 20¢, 25¢. This makes counting and making change much easier. For example, a box of crayons could be 15¢, and a can of soup could be 20¢.
Set Up the Checkout: Place the cash register or money box on the checkout counter and organize the play money inside.

A quick, hands-on review of the money you'll be using.

Coin Sorting: Dump a handful of coins on the table. Say, "Let's be treasure hunters and sort our money!" Have the child sort the coins into piles: pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.
Value Check: As they sort, briefly review the value of each coin. "Great job, that's a pile of dimes! How much is one dime worth? That's right, 10 cents!"

The student gets to be the first customer. You will be the friendly cashier.

Give the Shopper Money: Hand the student a specific amount of money, like 50¢ (e.g., two quarters, or five dimes).
Go Shopping: Encourage the student to pick one item to buy. Let's say they choose a can of beans priced at 15¢.
Check Out: At the counter, you say, "That will be 15 cents, please."
Count to Pay: Guide the student to count out the correct coins. Ask questions to help them think: "How can you make 15 cents? You could use a dime... and what else? A nickel! Perfect. 10 plus 5 is 15." Let them hand you the money.
Repeat: Do this 2-3 more times with different items so they get comfortable with counting out exact amounts.

This is where the core learning of making change happens. The roles are now reversed.

The Switch: Announce, "Great shopping! Now it's your turn to be the cashier and run the store!"
Teacher Buys an Item: You (the teacher) will now be the shopper. Pick up an item, for example, a box of crackers for 10¢.
Pay with a Bigger Coin: This is the most important part. Instead of paying with a dime, hand the cashier a quarter (25¢). Say, "Here you go."
Guide the Change-Making Process: The student will likely know this is too much money. Guide them through the "counting up" method, which is the easiest way to make change.
- Say: "The crackers cost 10 cents. You have my 25 cents. Let's figure out the change by starting at 10 and counting up to 25."
- Hold the dime (10¢) in your hand and say "10..."
- Then, have the child hand you coins from the register as you count up. "Give me a nickel. Now we're at 15... Give me another dime. Now we're at 25! We made it!"
- Show them the coins they gave you back. "So, the change is one nickel and one dime. That's 15 cents!"
Practice Makes Perfect: Repeat this process 3-4 times with different items and different payments (e.g., buy something for 5¢ and pay with a dime; buy something for 15¢ and pay with a quarter).

Closing the Store (5 minutes)

Ask fun review questions: "What was the most expensive item in our store? What was your favorite part of being the cashier?"
For a final counting activity, say, "Let's count our earnings!" Dump all the money out of the register and count it together to see how much the store made during the day. This is a great, informal way to assess their counting skills.

For Extra Support:
- Start with only pennies and nickels.
- On the price tags, draw the exact coins needed to pay (e.g., for a 7¢ item, draw 7 pennies).
- Focus only on the "paying for items" part before introducing making change.
For an Extra Challenge:
- Introduce multi-item purchases. "I want to buy the crackers (10¢) AND the apple (5¢). How much is that all together?" (Introduces addition).
- Use dollar bills and practice making change from $1.00 for an item that costs 75¢.
- Create a shopping list with a budget. "You have $1.00. Here is a list of three things you need. Do you have enough money to buy them all?"