Learning at the Grocery Store

The grocery store is a great place for children to learn different concepts.  Initially trips will revolve around being able to label or identify different types of food, but then trips to the store can be expanded to include numerous math concepts.  Ideas are listed by age group.

Toddler/Preschooler:

• Labeling/identifying foods- (”What is this?”) It makes it easy to learn all the different types of fruit, vegetables, etc. when the objects are right in front of them as compared to say a picture in a book. Let your child hold the fruit or vegetable even!
• Learning about categories- Mention how the store is set up…all the fruits are together (see how many you can see/think of), the vegetables are together, the meats, different types of crackers, cookies, etc. Visually seeing how all the items are grouped together helps solidify this concept.
• Types of jobs- Different people work in the store…baker, stock person, cashier, etc.
• We buy things- Introduce the concept that we have to pay money and buy things from the store before we are allowed to take them out. The cashier is the person we see at the end who sees what we are buying, tells us how much it costs, and takes our money.

Elementary:

• Prices- Point out that everything in the store has it’s own price, and that’s what the label is underneath each item. If you haven’t discussed money (dollars and cents), this is a good time to start doing so. Then as you shop, have your child practice reading the amounts on some of the labels ($2.99= “Two dollars and ninety nine cents.”)
• Price per unit- Show how (in most stores) the label has a price per unit, such as cents/ounces. Teach how to compare different products to determine which one is the better deal. Your child will first need to understand the concept of higher and lower numbers (e.g. 55 is bigger than 49).
• Reading- Practice reading signs and product names on packaging throughout the store.

Middle/High:

• Volume and weight- Identify what a gallon looks like compared to a half-gallon compared to a quart. Estimate the weight on something, and then check the package label to see how close you got. Usually in the produce section a scale is available too!
• Budgeting- Set up a budget. Plan a meal or shopping list within that budget. Are there any good deals at the store? How much can you save?

Also, I never leave home without a travel sized Magna Doodle but it is especially handy in the grocery store.  My oldest daughter loves to draw and write on it, so it makes the trip go much more smoothly (for me anyway!).  If you have one handy, then here are a few extra ideas.

• Letter ID- You write a letter of the alphabet and he tells you what it is. Once he is good at this, you say a letter and have him write it.
• Number ID- You write a number and he tells you what it is. Once he is good at this, you say a number and have him write it for you.
• Reading- You write a word down and have him read it to you.
• Writing- You say a word and have him spell it for you, or have him spell different items he sees in the store. This could be a fun way to challenge a reluctant speller.
• Play Tic-Tac-Toe! This is a good game to introduce the idea of strategy. Not only that he has to get three in a row, but he has to try to stop you from getting three! Until he gets the hang of it, point out that you’ve got two in a row, and then ask where he wants to go next to stop you. Do this game enough times and he will start to catch on. (This is also a great game to do in restaurants while waiting for your food to arrive!)

Have fun learning while you shop!