Materials
- variety of footwear (such as boots, high-heeled shoes, sneakers, cleats, sandals,
- swim shoes, slippers, men's dress shoes, and so on)
- table
- shoehorns
- cash register
- play money
- shopping bags
- full-length mirror
- several small chairs
- dot stickers
- markers
What to do
1. Take a field trip to a local shoe store. Let the children look at all the different types of shoes. Talk about why people need different types of footwear.
2. If possible, invite a shoe store employee to visit the classroom. Ask him or her to bring along the instrument used to measure customers' feet and use it to measure each child's foot. Make a note of each child's shoe size.
3. Make a shoe size graph. Make a line graph that shows the children's shoes sizes from smallest to largest.
4. Set up a shoe store in the classroom. Put a variety of shoes on low shelves and place a table near the shoes. Place the shoehorn, cash register, and the shopping bags on the table. Put a full-length mirror near the shoes.
5. Give each child some play money.
6. Encourage the children to use the materials freely. They can take turns playing customers and shoe store clerks.
7. Ask the children how much each pair of shoes should cost. Let them use dot stickers to make small price tags for each pair of shoes.
8. Children can try on a variety of shoes and choose a pair to "purchase." The "customers" take their shoes to the register and pay for them. The "clerk" rings up the sale, takes money, makes change, and puts the shoes in a shopping bag.
More to do
- Dramatic Play: Set up a shoeshine stand. Put empty polish containers, shoeshine cloths, and polishing brushes in a bucket. Encourage the children to use the materials to pretend to shine their new shoes.
- Math: Measure each child's foot with a ruler and graph the information.
-Virginia Jean Herrod, Columbia, SC
