Inside: Looking for a fun spring dramatic play idea? This flower market is a fun way to work on social skills through play!
Over the many years I’ve been teaching, our preschool has somehow acquired an abundance of artificial flowers.
When I open our gardening theme box, it’s full of them!
So, what to do with all those flowers?
Have a flower market, of course!
And that’s exactly what was in our dramatic play area during our gardening theme.
I’ve created some flower market signs and notepaper that you can use, too! Just scroll down towards the end of this post to find the link.
Flower Market Spring Dramatic Play
After I gathered all of the artificial flowers that popped out of that gardening theme box, I pulled out our puppet theater. Not for puppets, though. I chose it because I love the curtained window. It always creates a place to take orders. In this case, flower orders.
I hung our flower market open/closed sign in front of it.
Then I placed the flower bouquet sign in front of a container of flowers.
Oh, and our colorful butterflies were all around the flower market as well!
We also had gardening gloves and market bags.
I knew these market bags would be a huge hit, because 2 and 3 year olds LOVE to pack anything into a bag.
Yep, I see you all nodding in agreement.
My co-teacher and I decided to extend this spring dramatic play activity to the block area so the children would have more room.
Good call, because it made such a difference.
This is one of my biggest tips for teachers: you CAN move things around. You CAN remove some toys. Nothing is set permanently. Make it work for what’s going on that week.
I love our train table for much more than holding trains. It’s a perfect height and size for other activities.
Like sorting flowers!
I cannot tell you how many times I was offered some flowers by my little friends.
Truly, that just melts my heart.
Throughout centers time, some little hand was offering me flowers, and their faces were beaming.
Oh, my heart! Reason #2,034 that I absolutely love my job!
Flowers were gathered, dropped on the floor, placed in bags, handed to teachers.
And that puppet theater?
It turned into a walk-up order window.
I added some flower market notepaper (found in the printables link below) and clipboards.
They were ready to take flower orders!
This is a huge example of learning through play.
The children were moving things around. They were working together. Conversations were taking place.
And orders were written.
In 2 and young 3 year old style.
Okay, and now I have to share a reality photo.
So you all know nothing stays as I set it up.
Yep.
A baby, a clipboard, gardening gloves, birthday hats, food … all tossed on the table. That’s actually clean compared to some days!
Make sure to grab your free flower market printables:
More toddler and preschool themes:
Spring Lesson Plans
I’m so excited to be one of the authors of these hands-on lesson plans for toddlers and for preschoolers!
Easy to follow lesson plans include activity modifications and adaptations to meet the needs of all learners.
For more information, click on the graphics below:
