Mummies, do you remember how badly we wanted to be on the other side of the cashier when we were kids?
The sound of items being scanned, clicking keyboard sounds, and the ping of drawers ejecting from their registers was often one of the best parts of following your parents on their grocery shopping trips. When I saw what this mother had done for her children, it had my inner child rejoicing!
And now that I could be expecting children myself, I’m buzzing with excitement at the thought of doing something just like this to get my little ones excited with numbers and figures.
Puan Nadzirah Razali once took to Facebook to document how she had fashioned an adorably creative ‘Kedai Runcit Ibu’ in her lovely abode and it had netizens all over impressed, amused, and inspired.
Printed in bold on a piece of A4 paper at the shop’s front was a sign that read:
WELCOME
MUMMY’S SUNDRY SHOP
NO DEBTS ALLOWED
OPENS AT 10AM, CLOSES AT 8PM
It’s as cost-efficient as it looks and here’s how you can go about it!
An Educational DIY Child’s Play
What turns out to be a fun way to keep the children entertained is also a clever way to expose your children to counting and the importance of saving money.
This smart mummy dedicated a small corner of her kitchen for what looks like a generously stocked snack bar—with handcrafted price tags. Her customers (the children) will have to ‘work’ in order to earn their wages and buy from her shop.
The wages she offered vary between activities and errands such as;
- tidying up their toys which earns them RM50;
- nap for one hour (RM50);
- study or read a book (RM150);
- recite the Quran after Maghrib prayer (RM200) and,
- cleaning up the house (RM50).
While some people laughed at the exorbitant price tags and to-do lists, some also praised how it’s actually a great way to teach the children to count money and understand its value.
With the money they earned, the children were allowed to purchase snacks and goodies. More importantly, they’ll understand what they can afford to buy with the sum they’ve collected. This entails money management which will harness their financial literacy and numeracy skills.
What You’ll Need to Build Mummy’s Sundry Shop
If you’re tempted to scour through your home to build your own ‘Mummy’s Sundry Shop,’ then we’ve got you covered with a brief checklist of what to look out for and what you need to do.
It’s much easier than you think and you can tweak the costs to your own budget.
Here’s how to do so.
Find Your ‘Sundry Nook’
‘Mummy’s Sundry Corner’ can also be a mini snack bar. It can be placed in a corner of their bedroom, the living room or take up a small portion of your kitchen counter.
Much like Ms. Nadzirah’s nook, you need only a small space to assemble a few shelves of snacks and goodies, and to place the miniature cash register.
Additional items that may take up a little more space are your welcome sign, wages board, and your menu which can all be printed on plain or coloured A4 papers instead of pricey craft boards.
Plan Your Reward System
Building your Sundry Shop is actually also one of the many ways you can practice reward systems with your young children.
Studies have shown after all that good behaviour is more likely to recur if it’s followed by a positive outcome or response. How a parent reacts after they do something may cause the child to repeat or refrain from the action.
So, it definitely matters what errand, responsibility or good behaviour you wish to reward because these are attitudes and habits you’ll be reinforcing. You may consider things like:
- Cleaning up their play or living spaces
- Helping with the house chores
- Doing extra studies
- Picking up a new hobby or interest
- Mentoring or tutoring younger siblings
Get Creative with Alternatives
Every parent wants to provide only the best for their children but it’s best for our bank accounts to stay well within our budget too while doing so!
An easy tip is to look for everyday items around the house or ones you can easily find on your next grocery trip. Make use of things such as marker pens, cardboard boxes, old picture frames and coloured papers.
Instead of using real banknotes, you can always make your own version of play money or find online printables. Similarly, while you can find affordable toy cash registers, you can also make one your own if you’re feeling crafty!
The key lies in getting your creative juices flowing!
Help Them Understand Better
It’s always in our best interest that our child takes the best out of the lessons we impart to them and the only way to ensure that is to inquire them about it.
There is a learning system in place when you decide to run your own ‘kedai runcit‘ at home and it’s best when everyone in the household is a part of especially since it involves young children and toddlers.
Since this is an activity that teaches monetary values, it’s important for you to keep in mind that there is a mathematical progression for children from ages 0 to high school. It’s only around ages 7 to 8 years old where children are taught to calculate three-digit values.
What will make this a fun and educational activity is taking your time to explain to them how it works. So, when you stumble upon moments of struggle, consider them as teaching opportunities instead. Take your time to explain numbers and values just like how you explain good behaviours and bad.
Invest your patience during these moments and it will only be a matter of time until you notice the changes—big and small, regardless of their age.
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