You’ll meet a lot of parents who do not like to bring their children to the grocery store, I understand it because I get in and out a lot quicker and I tend to spend less on my solo trips. With that not always being a realistic option, I had decided to make them a big part of this household responsibility. Grocery shopping quickly became one of our favorite activities to do together. By the time my children were able to sit upright in the top of the cart, they became my best helper!
You’ll need minimal materials for this activity and it’s not very time consuming either. Gather up some:
- thin cardboard or index cards
- a key ring or string
- scissors
- a hole punch
- glue or glue dots
Once you’ve compiled those materials you’ll raid your fridge and pantry, pull out your most purchased products.
- If you are able to, cut a picture off the container that best describes the product. If you’re doing this for children over the age of 2 and your index card is big enough, cut the wording as well.
- Using your glue or glue dots, attach the pictures to the cardboard or index card – you may find that certain labels adhere to the backing better with different types of glue. Sometimes a glue stick works, sometimes you’ll be better off with a glue dot.
- Use the hole puncher to put a whole in the top left corner of each card.
- Connect the newly made cards with the key ring or tie with string (a twisty-tie will do just fine too) *If you’re using string, make sure that you can easily untie it each time you plan your shopping trip.
- As you make your own grocery list, remove the cards of items which you will not be shopping for so that your ring of cards includes only items you’re hoping to purchase on that trip. *You do not need to have a card for every single item, that will get overwhelming for them – keeping it simple is much more beneficial.
There are so many ways to tailor this activity to suit your family, and for the ages of your children. Below are some ways we discovered that worked best with each age group.
Early sitter – they’ll just hold the cards, and eat them too. So if you have clear laminate it will be wise to use it, I had packing tape laying around so I placed that around the edges and corners. During your grocery trip, just announce what you’ve picked up and show the picture. Your communication is key at this age, simply narrating the grocery trip heightens their engagement in the whole process.
18 months – 2 year old – may not be able to find the items on the shelves yet, but they will definitely appreciate the chance to shout it out as you load it into the cart. You grab what you need off the shelf and ask them to find the card that matches. It’s okay to be loud and excited at this stage of the game. The idea is to make grocery shopping fun, right?
A Preschooler will be way more involved – at this time you should be able to have the words attached with the photos and let them know what to look for. This stage requires a bit of patience as you may have to stroll slowly through the aisles allowing time for them to find their items – taking your sweet time is so worth it, believe me.
Another thing you can do as they get older is to always let them view the circular. Actually, you can even get the pictures for your shopping cards from there as well. They’ll get so excited to show you when they find your favorite items in the flyer and soon be able to report when things you buy are on sale. Eventually, they’ll even clip the coupons for you too!