Flower Shop Dramatic Play Center

This is a clipart image of four flowers in a blue tinted glass jar. There are two white flowers, a purple flower, and a pink flower.

Description

The dramatic play center provides opportunities for students to collaborate, engage in learning, and build language skills through conversations.  Children have the opportunity to role play real-life experiences by taking on many roles in imaginative play. Utilization of the space as a flower shop allows the children the opportunity to take on the roles of florists, cashiers, gardener, and customers. It allows for children to practice counting, sorting, and patterning through hands on play. It also encourages the child to think about placing orders, holidays celebrated by various cultures, giving to others, and economic choices.

Purpose

• math skills with counting with one-to-one correspondence to count flowers and money
• patterning and sorting skills when arranging flowers
  
• developmental writing opportunities to record flower orders and draw/write about floral arrangements
• print exposure to advertisements, signs, and order forms
• reading opportunities with exposure to variety of flower related literature and informational texts within the center
• creativity, imagination, abstract thinking
• oral communication, vocabulary 
• cooperation, sharing, taking turns

Suggested Materials

• artificial flowers (multiple stems of at least four varieties)
• plastic vases
• watering cans
• tissue paper or celephane sheets for wrapping floral arrangements
• toy cash register
• play money
• variety of flower related literature and informational texts
  
• writing materials
• gardening tools (plastic shovels, rakes, hoes)
  

Questioning Examples

These guiding questions can be used to assist the teacher, instructional assistant, or parent volunteers in supporting children's development and learning during play.

• How much will the bouquet cost?
• Which floral arrangement is more expensive?  Which is less expensive?
• How could you sort (or arrange) the flowers?
• What do we need to make the floral arrangement?
• What special occasion are the flowers for?
• How do we grow the flowers?
• Where do 

Considerations

This center can be set up with the following areas included: shelves with vases and containers for organizing flowers, garden area, storefront or market area with cash register and telephone, and refrigerator for keeping bouquets fresh.  A basket/tote with books about flowers should also be in the center for students to explore. In addition, writing materials for students to have the opportunity to place orders, create labels, write instructions, and draw floral arrangements with labels should be included. Children should be encouraged to try multiple roles in play at different times (florist, gardener, customer, etc.).

This center should allow for enough space for at least three students to play with the props.  The dramatic play center should be located in an area of the room that enables students to communicate without disrupting other children's work and play.

Photo Examples

Literature Connections

Many literature connections exist for this topic and can be read to students before introduction of the center or during learning through exploring the flower shop theme. These books can also be placed in the center for independent exploration by the children. The following are a few suggestions:

"Flowers and Showers: A Spring Counting Book" by Rebecca Davis

"Mrs. Peanuckle's Flower Alphabet" by Jessie Ford

"Planting a Rainbow" by Lois Ehlert

"The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle

"Zinnia's Flower Garden" by Monica Wellington

Downloadable Resources

These downloadable documents are meant to be printed and used within the center.  They are not for electronic use by students.

Florist order sheet

Flower shop center signs (store sign, open and closed signs, hours of operation sign)

Clipart Credit: www.mycutegraphics.com