Activity: Grocery Store Roundup

Taking kids to the grocery store can be a lot of work. It can also be a great way to help the other parent have some quiet time at home while you and your kid(s) buy the groceries. Assuming it’s safe to do so, you should absolutely take your kids grocery shopping with you. It’s a great way for them to learn about prices of foods, where things are located in the grocery store, and a decent way to help burn off some of their energy.

If you don’t take your kids to the grocery store, or if you’re looking for a fun activity after you get the kids home, then consider a grocery store roundup once you have everything back home. This activity is not only entertaining but also educational. It’s a great way to help your child learn all of the items you bought at the store and how they relate to one another. There are a few different ways to play this game.

First off, as you remove items from the bags, ask your child the name of the food. Ask them to tell either how the food can be used, or where the food may have come from. On items that they don’t know, you can tell them one of these things about the food. Teach them about why you buy all of the different foods that you do at the store and why they’re important. As kids grow older, you can teach them why you buy certain brands of foods or why you chose a specific version of an item.

After you’ve got the items out of the bags, have your kids work on grouping items together. There are multiple ways that they can be combined together. First off, they can group items by where they go inside your home. They can separate items that are frozen, items that go in the fridge, and items that go into your pantry. This helps your child start to understand where they belong.

If your child is older, you can have them divide them into different types of foods - vegetables, fruits, meats, and so forth. This helps your child start to understand a bit more about the different types of foods you’re actually buying and eating. This will also teach them a little bit about some of the more obscure items that you’re buying - why do you buy this weird boxed food that isn’t fresh? How do I group it with other items?

Another way for them to group items is by shape and or size. Put items that are boxes together. Put cylinders together. Put tall items together. Put the biggest items together. Think up whatever makes sense based on what you have. This teaches more critical thinking to a child, especially as they get into some of the more odd items you have. They’ll have to make some interesting decisions as to where foods go. It simply makes them think about how things look and why it would go in one place vs another one.

Finally, have them help put all of the items away. Playing games and then putting them away is a great way to teach them how to have a fun time and then help around the house is a great way to teach them about the responsibilities of what is required after shopping. The food doesn’t put itself away, and having played a game is a great way to prime them into helping clean up.

Grocery shopping can be a great learning experience for your kids. Teach them all about the foods you’re buying and why you buy them. Help them think critically about the food you’re buying.