---
title: "Pretend shop and a wait jar (ages 3 to 5)"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-15"
author: "Dad Field Manual editors (drafted with AI help)"
time: "20 min"
cost: "$0"
ages: "3 to 5"
where: "Any floor or table where a small shop of toys and snacks can be laid out."
topics: ["money"]
print: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/print?p=pretend-shop-and-wait-jar"
url: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/plans/pretend-shop-and-wait-jar/"
---

# Pretend shop and a wait jar (ages 3 to 5)

> At this age money is still a mystery: it comes from somewhere, it buys things, and it makes you wait. In twenty minutes you'll play shop with sticker money and set up a jar for one small thing worth waiting for.


## What you need

- A sheet of small stickers or paper circles for pretend money (free)
- 5 to 8 toys or empty boxes for the shop, plus a few real coins for sorting (have)
- Index cards or tape for price tags, and a marker (have)
- A plastic jar or can with a lid (have)

## Before you start

- **Coins are a choking hazard.** Most children who die from choking are under 5. Do the coin sorting with you right there, and put the coins away afterward.
- **Watch the older sibling.** Older brothers and sisters sometimes hand small objects to younger ones. Keep real coins at the table.

## Steps

1. **Talk about jobs** (Together) Say: "You see people working every day. The bus driver has a job. I have a job." Tell them what you do in one sentence. Ask: "If you ran a shop or a lemonade stand, what would you sell?"
2. **Sort the coins** (Dad shows, Kid copies) Spread a few real coins on the table. Sort them into piles by kind and count each pile together. Ask which coin they think is worth the most. Put the coins away when you're done.
3. **Open the pretend shop** (Together) Lay out the toys and boxes. Tape a price tag on each: one, two or three stickers. Give your kid ten stickers to spend. Ask: "Which one do you want? Which one do you need?" Swap roles so they're the shopkeeper and you buy.
4. **Name needs and wants** (Together) Pick two things at home and ask whether each is a need or a want. Food and clothes are needs. A new toy is a want. Then try: "Name something fun that costs nothing." A friend or the library both count.
5. **Start the wait jar** (Kid) Label the jar SAVE and let them decorate it. Ask what small thing they'd like. Say: "Some things are worth waiting for, like a turn on the swings." Put three stickers in the jar and add one each time they do a helper job.

## If it stalls

- If they want everything in the shop, say: "You have ten stickers. What's the best way to spend them?" Then let them choose and live with it.
- If they lose interest in the jar, shrink the goal. A sticker chart with three boxes shows progress in a day or two.
- If they ask to be paid for every job, say: "We all help in this family. Extra jobs can earn stickers." Decide your own list of extras ahead of time.


## Variations

- **Age 3:** Skip the price tags. Just buy and sell with stickers, and sort two kinds of coins. Keep the wait jar goal to a day or two.
- **Ages 4–5:** Use one, two and three sticker prices, count the stickers left after each buy, and write the goal on the jar.
- **Lemonade stand:** The CFPB suggests asking how they might run a lemonade or cookie stand. Draw the sign together and pretend-sell to the family.

## Sources

- **Jobs and earning, ages 3 to 5.** The CFPB's earning page for young children suggests pointing out people working in your town, telling your child about your own job, asking how they might run a lemonade or cookie stand, and practicing counting and sorting coins and bills. <https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/money-as-you-grow/young-children/explore-earning/> (checked 2026-10-15)
- **Needs, wants and choices, ages 3 to 5.** The CFPB's shopping page for young children suggests having kids identify coins, talking about fun things that are free versus things that cost money, pointing out needs while shopping and asking them to name wants, and giving them a small amount to pick one item. <https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/money-as-you-grow/young-children/explore-shopping/> (checked 2026-10-15)
- **Saving and waiting, ages 3 to 5.** The CFPB's saving page for young children says to point out that some things are worth waiting for, such as a turn on the swings, and to label a jar or can for saving so kids put some money in it to eventually buy a toy or treat. <https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/money-as-you-grow/young-children/explore-saving/> (checked 2026-10-15)
- **Coins as a choking hazard.** The AAP lists coins among household items to keep away from infants and young children, says most children who die from choking are under 5, and notes many choking incidents happen when older siblings give small objects to younger ones. <https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/Choking-Prevention.aspx> (checked 2026-10-15)