Make supermarket shopping with children a fun event

Posted in Uncategorized
by Lorain County Moms

By Priscilla J. Dunstan, McClatchy-Tribune

Supermarket shopping is a chore that has to be done, and most often it’s done with the kids tagging along. During such a common and repetitive activity, we have an opportunity to interact with our children no matter how busy and hectic the rest of our lives. You can make the most of a dreary chore and turn it into a fun learning experience, as well as positive family time.

Give the tactile child a job. Ask them to push the shopping cart, put items in the basket, or sort items on the counter for the cashier. As long as the tactile child is kept physically busy, they will stay out of mischief. Having your older tactile child get specific items for you, like a carton of milk or to Dad’s favorite cereal. Have your child to physically count each item, as they put it in or out of the cart, and talk about the weight, size, texture and use of the item. By holding an example of the item, tactile children will be more likely to understand and remember, making the supermarket a good place to learn counting, weight and measurement — even fractions.

Auditory children will do best with either distraction or conversation. Hand your child the shopping list and be prepared to discuss every item. Use the discussion to teach them about the ingredients of their favorite fish sticks, or where and how tomatoes are grown and what goes into a hot dog. This is a good opportunity to educate them on where their food comes from, and all the extra ingredients needed to make their favorite dish. Auditory children can find supermarkets a little noisy, so be prepared with a distraction when the noise gets too much for them — an iPod with headphones will help.

Visual children are great at finding things, so ask them to help you find what you’re looking for. They will register subtle differences in labeling and packages and will remember precisely were the items were located, the last time you came. Holding and matching up the coupons is also a great activity for your visual child, and will help them to feel useful, as well as distract them from the many colored sweets placed at checkout. You can also distract through games — I Spy can be played with color, shapes, first letter, type of food, etc. The fruit and veggie section is a great place to learn the names of produce and practice counting picking out four green apples, or three yellow onions.

Taste and smell children will view any outing with you and the family as a great thing. With that, however, come certain expectations: shopping, even for groceries, is a family event, so forget about doing it quickly or efficiently. Taste and smell children will need to take their time, enjoy the process of spending time with you doing something together. They will want to talk about the dinner to be made from the ingredients in the shopping cart, admire the balloons, and show their little brother the toys. Rushing the process will end in tears and frustration at the checkout, so be prepared to go slowly and have the trip be peaceful.

Taking into account your child’s dominant sense will help you to create a positive grocery shopping experience, and create a good learning platform for them to practice basic math, reading and pattern recognition processes. Instead of it being a chore, it can be a meaningful family routine.

Priscilla J. Dunstan is a child and parenting behavior expert and consultant and the author of “Child Sense.” Learn more about Priscilla and her parenting discoveries at www.childsense.com.