Let's Visit the Pet Shop

During the month of September, the preschoolers had the opportunity to learn more about language by playing in the pet shop-themed learning center.  We worked on many goals each day including vocabulary, literacy, math, personal/social skills and even science.  Over the course of the month, it was exciting to see the preschoolers' play skills develop to a new level.  Instead of only acting out the various jobs that one might accomplish at a pet store, the preschoolers began to interact with one another using the language that was appropriate for this setting!  While they did learn about caring for pets and about purchasing a new pet, the preschoolers really learned some important lessons for life and about communicating with others.

Over the course of the month, the preschoolers had their favorite pets.  Interestingly enough, that changed from day to day due to our literature selections.  For instance, if the main character of the story was a bird, the preschoolers all wanted to play with the birds in the pet shop.  And, if the main character of the story was a rabbit, they all wanted to purchase & care for a rabbit.  To me, this was very exciting because it showed that the preschoolers were not only listening to the stories, but they were later, synthesizing this information through their play.  While playing looks fun to adults, it provides powerful learning opportunities for young children to investigate and explore the world around them.