How You Can Frugally Turn a Playroom Into A Grocery Store!

Do you have a toddler that gets just as excited about going to the grocery store as they do about going to the zoo? If so, your kiddo will have tons of fun with this low cost dramatic play setup, that's easy to execute in the playroom, your living room, or even within a preschool classroom.

Plus, this activity requires the use of recycled materials, which makes it a great opportunity to expose kids to eco-friendly practices. Eco-friendly dramatic play... is that a thing? Can I make it a thing? Let's get started!

In order to subsidize the many hours I put into creating this post, and also for my reader’s convenience, you will find some affiliate links. Feel free to use or disregard them.

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Items to Include in a Pretend Grocery Store

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• Empty shelf space

• Food packaging and recyclables

• Old wallet

• Shopping basket (I use a metal shower basket from my college dorm room days, works great)

• Cash register (I love the one from Learning Resources, because it doubles as a calculator!)

• Foreign currency or board game money

• Small reusable bags

• Used gift cards

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Steps for Setting Up A DIY Grocery Store for Kids

1. Consume contents of groceries per usual.

   
   

2. Save packaging of food products (items that come in cardboard boxes, plastic jars, milk jugs, etc)

   
   

3. Use your imagination to bring the empty packages back to life by making them look and feel realistic! Check out this post for a complete walk-through of the process.

   
   

4. Give kid small reusable bags to bag their groceries.

5. If you have any foreign currency- or know a friend that has traveled overseas and has leftover currency to spare- slap some clear contact paper over bills to prevent them from tearing easily. Then, give your kiddo their play money!

   
   

6. The range of currency bills is a lot more fun for kids more than the boring grey bills at toy stores. Heck, the colors even excite me as an adult!

   
   

   The vibrant colors are also a way to throw in some color recognition. A few spare dollars from board games will also work. Next, lend them a wallet you're not using.

   
   

7. Look through your wallet and find any old gift cards. Give them to your kid to use as pretend credit cards.

8. If you have a few bucks to spare, hit up your local thrift store for a toy cash register. I actually found two at my local Savers and one of them still had working batteries!

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Educational Benefits of Creating a DIY Grocery Store for Kids

Developmental Skills: fine motor skills; hand-eye coordination; language (vocabulary); observation; intro to STEM (counting); cause & effect

Teaches: cultural awareness (foreign currency); resourcefulness

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Voila! There you have it folks, now get going turning your living room into a grocery store! Drop a comment below, sharing what recyclables you're able to give a second life to!

Sincerely, Briesh

P.S. Stay Conscious + Curious