Vicky, from North Wales, shares her fun sweet shop activity. Let’s take a look…
Set up your shop:
- Find a space in your home to set up a shop, we chose around our dining room table- this worked well as we were able to sit around it together to do all the activities together.
- Get everything you need ready- paper, pens/pencils/crayons, scissors, sellotape, containers ready to hold and display your sweets (we used some glass dessert pots, but could use any containers you have to hand… I would try and pick small containers so that they get filled up quicker- as using the same amount of sweets- it looks more impressive to your kids- than having a larger tub that makes it look half empty. The last items- sweets and chocolate!
- Get your child(ren) to make a container for their sweets- I had all the items on the table and let them think how they wanted their sweetie holder to look. Make yourself one too!
- Get them to colour in their sweet bag
- Get them to design a sweet shop sign. I hadn’t actually planned that in- but as our boys were busy colouring our daughter had finished hers and she was getting impatient for sweets- so I gave her that job to do while she waited – and she loved being asked to design the shop sign. (Yay for distraction – it’s the little wins!)
- Once everyone is ready and shown everyone else their creations you can start laying out your sweets. (You can do this anytime – but if your children are anything like ours – if we’d have opened the sweets before the activities it probably would have changed the whole focus. The kids would be constantly asking/sneaking their fingers to get the treats (I probably would have had a few testers too) and it could change from having a fun time together, to one where you are saying – no, not yet, please wait, argh, come on kids listen, hands off the food etc. Our 2 year old was having a nap when we set up shop- had she been awake I would have known not even to mention treats, never mind having them on the table, before it was time to start eating them.
- Then let them come up one by one to the shop owner (the adult) to pick the sweets they would like. I then picked out the sweets from the jars and put them into their paper envelops/containers/cones- whatever craft they have just made.
- Repeat the shop visit, if desired.
- Let the kids (and you) enjoy the treats, perhaps combining it with a movie night.
I used paper for the containers – as we had it to hand and it’s really easy to do. I had originally planned to decorate glass jars – but the pens I have at home rubbed off the glass.
You could be as creative as you like with how you made your sweetie containers.
It was lovely to watch the children play about with the paper, discussing different designs and- somewhat important when you are getting sweets – what could hold the most stuff!
There are lots of potential learning opportunities with this activity. You could lead the way or you could just sit back and listen to the conversations your children are having. It was actually our 4-year old (the youngest one doing the craft) who immediately got his paper and made it into the biggest cone shape he could (nice work son!).
They all had so much fun with their creations! They tried a few different designs and then all decided they would do a paper envelope (fold a sheet of paper in half and sellotape down the 2 sides) so that they would all have something the same size. They could also decorate it easily without squashing it.
The sweet treats:
I had already had these in. It cost us £2 for the sweetie selection -the mini sweet bags are 5 for £1 at our local supermarket. I set out 10 bags worth of sweets. The kids were impressed as it looked like loads when they were in their little jars. We still had stuff left over when everyone’s sweetie bags had been filled… so I’ve covered them up- ready to use as toppings on the cupcakes that we are planning to make tomorrow (or my husband and I might just eat them!).
It’s worth picking your kids favourite treats and perhaps some new things they haven’t tried (just to add to the excitement – you could add a taste testing section). If you wanted to spend more time on this you could look through recipes and then make your own treats first.
You could add to this activity in so many ways – to suit your time and your children’s ages and interests.
When my family do this activity again (and we will because everyone loved it!), I will add a money element to it. Perhaps giving them all some coins to spend, or making paper money with them first. So we can discuss numbers, counting, planning etc.
Our children’s school teachers are fantastic. They have kept connected to us all through schools Hub/classroom/seesaw and I noticed last week that one of the areas they have mentioned about learning about is fractions. So I might use some of the sweetie laces cut up to introduce the idea of fractions to them.
This craft was inspired by our favourite sweet shop, Spavens. They have a “special” where you go in, decorate a glass jar (or paint a ceramic) then have a slushie, pancake and ice cream, and then you get to go around the shop filling your jar with sweets to take home!
A little bit about you…
My name’s Vicky and I created “Housebound with Kids”. My husband and I have 4 children aged 8 (boy), 6 (girl), 4 (boy) & 2 (girl).
Any tips to help others when they are housebound with kids?
Try to have fun as a family and focus on the little, everyday joyful moments that occur, but can sometimes be missed.
How has the Housebound with Kids community helped you?
I love the community we have at Housebound with Kids. I enjoy seeing all the craft ideas and the inspiration that it brings to others. I especially love the little insights into the true experiences of parenthood and the emotional rollercoaster it brings.
The kindness and compassion of everyone when writing their tips, ideas, and supportive messages to each other has been lovely. I think it’s important to try and be what you want to see in the world… Kind, caring, and compassionate. And my word, I’ve seen so much of that in our community! Thank you all xxxx
