Week 20: Shops and money — preschool theme plan for parents

Ten words to use this week

buy money coin price more less need want change basket

Use them in your home language first. A word heard twenty times in real moments — at the sink, on the road, at dinner — sticks far better than a word drilled twenty times in a row. You do not need to teach; you only need to talk.

Three things to say

"We need three tomatoes. Can you count them into the bag?"
"Is this a need or a want?" in the shop, gently, without a lecture.
"This costs five. You have two coins of two. Is that enough?" (for five-year-olds)

This week on the site

Golu's Day picks from these automatically, one short session a day. If you would rather choose yourself, here is everything for the week.

Picture books (4)

Songs to sing (2)

Games (6)

The same theme at different ages

A two-year-old is collecting names: point, say the word, wait, and celebrate any attempt to say it back. A three- to four-year-old is ready to sort and compare — which is bigger, which go together, which one does not belong. A five- to six-year-old wants reasons: ask "why do you think…?" and "what would happen if…?", and let them explain it to a younger child or a grandparent. If you have two children at different ages, the older one teaching the younger is the best lesson either will get this week.

A simple rhythm for the week

You do not need a timetable, but a loose shape helps on tired days. Here is one that fits around school and work; move anything anywhere.

Day 1 — open the theme. Read At the market together, twice. The second reading is where the words go in.
Day 2 and 3 — play. Let Golu's Day choose, or pick a game from the list above. Fifteen minutes, then stop while it is still fun.
Day 4 — sing and move. Learn Count the Coins well enough to sing it without the screen — in the bath, on the stairs, in the car.
Day 5 — hands. Do one off-screen activity. Expect mess; mess is the lesson working.
Weekend — the real world. Try a real shopping trip where your child carries the list, counts the items and hands over the money. This is the day the week's words stop being screen words.
Last day — tell it back. Ask your child to tell someone what they did this week. Retelling is how short-term memory becomes long-term, and it costs nothing.

Missed three days? Nothing is lost. The themes come round again, and a relaxed week with two good conversations beats a full one done through gritted teeth.

What to notice

Can your child count out objects to a number you say (four)? Understand that things cost money (four to five)? Wait for something they want without a meltdown, sometimes?

These are things to notice, not things to test. Children develop in bursts and at very different speeds, and a skill that is missing this month often appears overnight the next. If a worry stays with you for a few months, that is reason enough to mention it to your child's doctor or teacher.

If this week is hard

Supermarket meltdowns usually come from hunger, tiredness or too many things at eye level. Shop after a snack, give your child a job (the basket, the list), and agree before you go in what, if anything, they may choose.

The other weeks

This is week 20 of 24 in the weekly plan for parents. The weeks run in a loop and each age band meets different games inside the same theme, so the second time round — three months later — your child is doing harder things with familiar words. Next week: Staying safe.

Now do it for real

When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try 🎭 Paper plate face — an easy craft for ages 3-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need a paper plate or a card circle, crayons, string and scissors (grown-up); nothing that needs a trip to a shop.

There are 56 more on the things to do at home page, and free printable worksheets if you would rather have something on paper. Ten minutes on a screen and twenty minutes off it is a good shape for a day at this age.

Week 20: Shops and money: questions parents ask

What should my child learn about shops and money?