The write start - Jennifer Hallissy 2010

Letters ‘R’ Us
Guidelines for the Activities

NOWADAYS, kids are becoming savvy shoppers at a young age. They know all about swiping credit cards, signing receipts, and using coupons. And it intrigues them. So much so that, every time I introduce kids to this activity, they become quite the shopaholics. They love being the ones to mind the store (especially when there’s a cool cash register involved).

In this project, have your kids set up a letter store. Would you like to buy an E? How about all the letters to spell your name? With twenty-six letters in stock, the possibilities are unlimited. And with play money, kisses, and hugs for currency, the price is definitely right.

MATERIALS

∗ letter pieces (wood pieces for capital letters available from Handwriting Without Tears, or you can make your own using a template, also available from Handwriting Without Tears; see the resources section at the back of the book)

∗ puppet theater (or trifold presentation board, available at office supply stores)

∗ cutting knife (if using a presentation board)

∗ toy cash register

∗ play money

∗ small paper shopping bag

∗ scrap paper

∗ pencil

HOW-TO

1. Help your children set up their inventory of letter pieces behind a storefront. A puppet theater works great as a storefront, if you have one. If you don’t, you can create a super-simple shop by cutting a rectangular opening in the middle panel of a piece of trifold presentation board (grown-ups only for this cutting job, please). Children can decorate the facade or write the name of their store on it.

2. Set up the cash register, play money, shopping bag, scrap paper, and pencil, so they are all accessible.

3. Parents, have fun being your kids’ customers. Play the part to the hilt. I usually say something to the effect of, “Excuse me sir/ma’am. I’m looking for a letter. It’s a f-f-fabulous letter. It’s made up of a big straight line and two little straight lines. Do you have anything like that in stock?”

4. Your little shopkeeper can then scurry around putting your order together, placing the pieces in your bag, ringing you up, taking your money, giving you back your change, and writing you a receipt.

5. Check your order when you get your bag, and if it’s not exactly what you asked for, cheerily repeat your request and ask for an exchange.

6. Model gracious thank-yous and have-a-nice-days at the end of your transaction. Kids eat it up. They’ll want to play over and over again. Who doesn’t want repeat customers?

Variations

For Scribblers: Since they are just getting comfortable with lines and shapes, start there with your requests. Begin by ordering a big straight line, and, if they master that, order a big curve next, and so on.

For Spellers: Spellers thrive on the transaction I quoted above; it’s right where they’re at, developmentally speaking. When they have mastered finding letter pieces and can identify all the letters, I might up the challenge by saying, “I am looking for the first letter of the word fish.”

For Storytellers: Step it up another notch for Storytellers because they can definitely serve you up an entire word (for example, “Could you please sell me everything I need to make fish for dinner?”).

For Scholars: Use the definition of a word in your order, such as “an aquatic animal with gills,” and your young Scholar will hardly be able to guess they are studying vocabulary and spelling as they play.