Make Grocery Shopping A Learning Experience For Children

Make a trip to the grocery store a learning experience for children by letting them help with the grocery list. This will help them pay more attention to colors, letters, numbers and foods.

When making out your grocery list, make one for each of your children. On a piece of paper, draw a picture of each item on the list and write the quantity beside it. For younger children, draw the number of items you want. For example, draw three apples instead of the number 3 and an apple.

At the grocery store, give your children their list and a pen to mark off items, just like you do. As you walk through the store, let the children find the items on the picture list. Stress that you need help finding the groceries and praise them for their assistance.

While in the store, encourage your children to notice different things by playing I Spy. Mentally select an item all of you can see, then begin describing it to them. For example, if the item is an orange, say "I spy something that hangs on a tree." Then say "It usually grows in Florida and it has lots of Vitamin C in its juice." Continue until one of the children guesses the object, then let them choose an object while you try to guess what it is.