As parents we are always trying to come up with new and exciting ways that we can engage our children in learning. We are eager to discover creative and innovative ways to increase our child’s knowledge base when, in reality, it can be as simple as taking them to the grocery store. Often times, we find ourselves going to the grocery store at least once a week anyway, so why not take them along for a quick math and reading lesson? Let’s take a look at some easy activities you can implement with your child at the grocery store, to teach them valuable skills while spending time together and making it fun!
Reading items off of a list…
- In preparation for your trip, select and cut out 3-5 items from your grocery store flyer and paste them to an individual list. This is perfect for the child who hasn’t started reading yet. As you work your way through the store, your child can keep an eye out for the specific items.
- As your child increases their reading ability, you can replace the pictures with written items.
- Have your child read you the prices of the items on the shelf that you need. You can stop there and move on, or better yet have them compare two different prices for the same item. Have them choose the item that is least expensive. This will help with many different math skills: reading numbers, decimals, and also recognizing least to greatest values.
- As their math skills grow you can have them bring along a small notepad and have them add a few prices together to keep track of the amount that is being spent.
- Also, when you are waiting in line, you can have your child practice their currency skills. Have them name all the different coins you are using and help them to recognize different bills. If that becomes too easy for them, have them pay for the purchase and count the change.
These are just some quick and easy ideas to help you incorporate learning skills into an everyday task. I know that putting aside the time with your kids to concentrate on learning can be daunting, but this is a way to engage them in a task that you would have to do anyway. So, in retrospect, you are killing two birds with one stone. It can also help with the nagging that we sometimes endure while at the grocery store! It is always helpful to have a busy bee rather than a bored one!