Supermarket: Developing Real World Skills

At 360 Play, every role play experience is designed to help children develop important skills while learning through play. In this video, Dr Amanda Gummer from The Good Play Guide explores the 360 Supermarket and explains how a pretend shopping trip can introduce children to early maths, food knowledge and everyday life skills.

Using a shopping list gives children a purpose to their play. They can look for the items they need, match words or pictures to products and tick them off as they go. This encourages children to follow instructions, organise information and understand how lists can help us complete everyday tasks.

The supermarket is also a great place to start conversations about where our food comes from. Children can explore different foods and think about their journey before they reach the supermarket. Where does milk come from? Which fruits and vegetables grow on plants? How is bread made? Talking about where everyday foods come from helps children develop their understanding of the world around them and introduces the idea that food goes through different stages before reaching our plates.

There are plenty of opportunities to practise early maths skills too. Children can count how many items they need, compare quantities, recognise numbers and sort products into different groups. Pretending to pay at the till can introduce the concept of money, while simple questions such as “How many apples do we need?” or “Which basket has more?” make maths part of their play naturally.

Taking turns as the customer and shopkeeper also encourages communication, confidence and social interaction. Children learn to make choices, complete a task and work with others, all valuable skills as they prepare for the increased independence of starting school.

The learning does not stop when the play session ends. Families can continue these activities during a real shopping trip by making a simple shopping list together, asking children to find and count items or talking about where different foods have come from. These everyday conversations can turn a weekly shop into another opportunity to learn together.

Watch this video to discover how the 360 Supermarket brings maths, food knowledge and everyday life skills into imaginative play, helping children learn about the world around them both at 360 Play and at home.

Find out more about The Good Play Guide here.