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The Book Chook, Susan Stephenson, published another great literacy ideas magazine, Literacy Lava.  This edition features a contribution I wrote on imaginative play in preschool.  Here’s an excerpt.  Download the full article plus many more great articles and activities in the free Literacy Lava magazine here.

Preschool play  needs

1. Imaginary scenario (theme)

2. Background knowledge, with talking,
listening, reading and writing

3. Props

Grocery Store Preschool Play

1. Imaginary scenario:  The grocery store

2. Background Knowledge:  Talk about trips to the grocery store. See what the
children already know. What do they like about the grocery store? What do they do? Do they bring a list?

Read a book about the grocery store.

Make a shopping list. Cut out pictures of food.  Help your child say the food word, listen for the beginning letter sound and write the letter.  The letter stands for the entire word.

3. Props:  aprons, shopping carts, purses, play money, name tags, plastic and real food, tables, a plastic cash register, pens and sticky notes, reusable bags and individual shopping lists.
4. Play Grocery Store:  Facilitate choosing “roles” for the first round or two of
play. Create as many “roles” as kids– shopper,checker, bagger, stocker, baker, deli worker, and so on.