Kids Yard Sale - Fun Learning Activity

I thought this would be a great activity that incorporated both a "fun" factor and learning money values and names as well!! I had each child bring three things they would like to sell at our sale (I asked for cheap toys - nothing worth money). I also asked that they bring in a bag with a mixture of different coins. I laid out all of our items and then talked to them about recycling unused toys and making extra money with things we aren't using anymore, etc. To start the sale, I pulled names out of a hat to keep it fair with who went first and last. At their turn, each child picked up the item they wanted. For the younger kids, I would tell them which coins I needed from their pile so they could "buy" it  (I kept track of who sold what and for how much on the side). For example, I would tell them, "I need a dime, nickel and penny for that item" (and they would have to find those coins). For the older kids, I would say, "I need 48 cents for that item", which made them work on their "counting money" skills. We did this for three "rounds" and the kids really enjoyed it. By the end, they were all getting the hang of the coins without any help from me! They each got three new toys to play with and earned some money as well ;0)!!

I was thinking this would be a great activity to do with the entire neighborhood! Get all the kids involved before school starts. Make it a "Back to School Bash" and include school supplies or do a bake sale theme and sell homemade goodies. Make it a crafty theme and only bring things that are handmade. The possibilities are endless!!!! Have fun with this. I would love to hear how your "Yard Sale" turned out!