Little ones love to pretend. They also love to imitate the things they see the grown ups in their lives do so it’s no surprise that playing store is a favorite of many kids. Here are some toys that make setting up and playing store a fun experience:

Toy Cash Register - One of the most important items for playing store is the toy cash register. Not only do kids find it extremely entertaining but it is also a great educational tool for teaching them math skills and money management. There are several great toy cash registers on the market but some of the most popular ones with kids are the ones that have scanners on them. Some registers also have games on them while others make fun sound effects. All toy cash registers come with play money and coins.

Play Food - Play food is a must for setting up your play grocery store. There is a wide variety of play food to choose from out there. Melissa and Doug makes a lot wonderful wooden play food sets which are durable enough to stand up to little ones who are rough on toys. If money is tight, save used boxes from cereal, Jell-o and other food items and tape or glue them back up. Then kids can use them to "set up shop" with.

Toy Shopping Cart - Shopping at their play grocery store is more fun with a toy shopping cart. There are many to choose from but the most popular are the sturdy plastic ones made by Little Tikes and Step 2. Melissa and Doug also makes a great metal one which looks like a miniature version of the ones that are used at real grocery stores. All of these shopping carts can be purchased for between $30-50.

Once they have all the necessary items for their grocery store, find somewhere to set it up. Low bookcases in their play room can act as the shelves of their "grocery store" while a kid’s sized table is the perfect place to put the cash register and ring up the groceries. A couple reusable canvas grocery bags are perfect for packing up the "groceries" once they are paid for.

With these items, kids will have a blast playing grocery and setting up and running their own store. It really provides them with the tools needed to get creative and get lost in their own world of make believe.