Six Reasons to Take Your Kids Grocery Shopping
“… And avoid taking your kids to the supermarket, no matter what! … ”
My twins were only a few weeks old when I got this gem of parenting advice, and, at the time I thought it was pretty spot on. Even the idea of taking twin babies to the supermarket scared me, I was prepared to avoid the reality at all costs!
But when my twins finally came home from hospital, and I found myself home alone with two babies day after day, I realised how unrealistic this advice was for me.
We needed to eat, there was no one else to look after the babies, my husband worked shifts, and I really, really, needed to get out of the house.
So I took my twins to the supermarket… and guess what? It wasn’t that bad.
Sure juggling baby twins in and out of trolleys wasn’t always easy, and some days I couldn’t even get out of the house let alone get to the shops, but as my girls got bigger I realised that there was a lot of great things about taking my kids to the supermarket, for my kids and for me.
Here are six reasons why you should take your kids grocery shopping… at least occasionally:
Learning Letters and Numbers.
Recognising symbols on food packaging is often one of our kid’s first pre-reading skills and there are so many opportunities to practice these skills when you go to the supermarket. Point out interesting signs and symbols, play eye spy and ask your child to find a picture, letter or number, write a shopping list together and have your child cross off the items as you collect them. Going shopping helps kids learn that words and numbers are useful and meaningful.
Learning about Money.
Money is a tricky concept to teach kids without hands on experience. If our kids grow up seeing us buy things, handle money, use bank cards, etc they will have a good, real life, foundation of experience on which to build their knowledge about money. Older children can get even more hands on by helping hand over money, handling change, talking about how much items cost etc.
Practicing Social Skills.
Social interaction was the number one reason I braved the supermarket with my babies – I needed to see other adults! Our kids also benefit from seeing, meeting and interacting with a range of different people. It helps our kids learn that people come in all shapes, sizes, and colours and that they do all kinds of interesting things.
The supermarket is also a great place to experience and practice social skills such as waiting your turn, being respectful to others, speaking politely, asking for help, etc. I
Learning about Food.
When my middle boy was preschool aged we started a little challenge – find the weirdest looking fruit or vegetable in the supermarket and google to find out more about it. Now my boy knows what a custard apple is, where a rambutan is grown, and what you might use a choko for!
Taking your kids shopping gives them an opportunity to see and learn about a wider variety of foods than just what comes home with you. It’s a great opportunity to talk about healthy foods, where food comes from, and may even help motivate a picky eater to try something new. It is also the starting point for teaching our kids about cooking, meal planning and budgeting so when they are adults they can plan, shop for, and cook a meal from scratch.
Learning about Advertising and Labeling.
We want our kids to make healthy choices about the foods they consume, and to do that they need to be informed. They need to learn how to read a label and compare items. They need to understand that the word ‘sale’ doesn’t always mean it is a good deal. They need to learn that brands use words like ‘healthy’ or ‘99% fat free’ to entice you to buy, not necessarily because the item is good for you. They need to know what issues are important when buying items – are you looking for a locally grown item? Are you looking at how much salt is in something? Why are those things important to you? Small children learn these things by watching adults well before they actually understand themselves, and older children can play an active part in these discussions and decisions.
It’s fun.
Before you decide that I am totally insane and start looking for a straight jacket, hear me out!
If going to the supermarket is familiar, if you have set everyone up for success, if you’ve set clear limits… taking your kids with you to do the shopping can be fun.
It’s a chance to spend time with your kids, to enjoy their company, and to watch them learn. Chatting to my little one as he rides in the trolley facing me is a great way to connect and it’s lovely to watch his eyes light up when he learns or experiences something new. I often take just one of my older kids with me to help with the shopping, it’s a chance for some one on one time and we have some great conversations.
Have I convinced you to take your kids grocery shopping yet?
Maybe you are still wavering because you’ve tried it and it was a nightmare?
Perhaps these tips will help make shopping with kids a little easier…
Know when not to go
Don’t take the kids to the supermarket when you are tired, stressed, hungry, or in a hurry.
Same goes for the kids – don’t take them if they are tired, grumpy, hungry or overstimulated. You know your child, you know if they will cope or not.
Don’t take the kids to the supermarket when it is super busy – try going in the early morning, and avoid holidays if you can.
Don’t take the kids to the supermarket if you have a super long list of things you need to get – little kids especially can’t cope with an hours shopping trip, but they can manage 15 minutes.
Be Prepared
Make a list at home and know what you need and where you need to go to get it.
Make sure your kids have everything they need to get through the shopping trip – a snack, a favourite toy, a drink.
Think about how you can involve and engage your kids in the shopping process.
Set Clear Limits
Make sure your kids know how you expect them to behave ahead of time – if you say no treats that means no treats, no matter what.
You can bypass the confectionery and toy aisles if you need to, and look for a checkout that doesn’t have lollies (candy).
Do you take your kids grocery shopping?
What do love about it?
What do you loathe about it?
Helping with the shopping has always been part of life for my three for all the reasons you mention Kate. I dont really pack snacks for mine though. As a kind of ‘built in reward’ for helping out they get to choose either a flavoured milk or a squezzy yoghurt and their own piece of fruit. This is considered a treat by my kids and because they are eating something substantial and heathy I can so a full shop in one go. My kiddos are also prretty good little helpers once we get home helping to put the shopping away
We had a fun grocery shop today. I do talk non-stop, explaining much of what you mentioned – types of foods, how to prepare them, comparing products (price and sugar content, our main foci) and looking at labeling as we endeavour to buy Australian grown, made and/or owned.
But today’s trip was different as Master 3 spotted the scales. “You use those to weigh things.”
I suppose I’ve mentioned that before. We spent a great few minutes predicting the weight of a sweet potato and then seeing how many it took to move the scale’s needle over 2 kg.
Not all shopping trips are that much fun, but it was worth arriving home that bit later to have played with the scales.
My kids love to weigh things on the big scales too! Such a great learning opportunity and loads of fun!
Definitely. :) Didn’t realise that the large supermarkets still had them.
Love this! Shopping is often a tad crazy with my 3 in tow but it’s also a great free ‘resource’ for vast learning… thanks for sharing!
We used to focus on practical application of maths problems too. Such as, there are 5 people in our house and we would all like 2 bananas each. How many bananas should we buy?
I take my kids out too. Kids are supposed to be involved in the world, not shut away in child proof cages all the time. But it is important to make it manageable. I shop by priority order – ie we get the must have things first – that way if it\’s all too much we can leave the rest of the list til next time.
It might mean we go down the aisles in a funny order though. :)
Oh that is a great tip!! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never had much choice. It’s either send my husband alone (heaven forbid) or all 4 of us go. I don’t drive, so that’s one of the things that just happens. It’s an exercise in discipline (stay near mommy or you have to ride in the cart), math skills (which one of these should we buy – what has the lower price) delegation (Emily, go over there and pick out a bag of baby carrots while I get the potatoes) and choices (You can have either have the jello or the pudding for a treat for your lunch for school, which do you want). They’ve gone grocery shopping with us at least once a week since birth. They’re not always the best behaved, and yes, I have to pin my ever so impulsive almost 3 year old’s hands in the check out aisle or we’ll have ALL THE CHOCOLATE, but it’s just part of life for them. Frankly it seems odd that some kids don’t get that experience.
I love all these reasons! I won’t say that I enjoy taking my kids shopping, but we can’t expect them to know how to do grown up things if they never get a chance to see how we do them. :)
That is exactly it! We can’t expect our kids to manage these situations now or later if they never experience them!
I take my son grocery shopping. He loves it. He does love food! It’s a great place to practice vocabulary too. He’s still learning words, so there are plenty to try out while we are there. I know it won’t be as easy with two though! Sharing this on my facebook page!
I must admit I tend to shop early on sat morning when husband is home with kids as it’s easier but only yesterday I was thinking I should have another crack at taking all 3 out shopping. So challenge is set for tomorrow..slightly nervous but after reading this post and comments I feel confident I can do it. This does remind me of the woman at the checkout who was serving me telling me she does not know why mums have to come shopping with their kids all the time …as they are so noisy and annoying. Wait till she sees me and my 3 tomorrow !!!!
My kiddos would read and still do read all the environmental print. My son surprised me at age 4 by reading a large word he knew on a sale sign. We’ve fallen from those good ol days, but now that I homeschool, it’s a necessity. We went for the first time and I gave my boys the list. Shockingly enough, they were upset when things that weren’t on the list found their way into the cart…
I now have eight, and find it easier to shop when I have several of them along. I can send the older ones to get things; someone always wants to push the cart for me; and the older ones can help care for the little ones. It would be a lot harder if I only took the baby, but with some along that are 10 or older, shopping is much easier, rather than harder. I can also teach them how to compare unit prices that way, and we talk about nutrition as well.
I have twins too. :) They are five now, but we’ve always gone to the store with them. When they were small enough to fit in the seats, my husband and I would go shopping together, and split them up and conquer this and that side of the store at the same time, meet up, and then check out with our two separate carts.
We now have three kids, and I often take them all by myself. And I agree with you – It is FUN! Seriously. And it is educational. I love my kids and I love seeing them check out things, learn that everything they see is not something we’ll buy, and to be aware of things and others around them.
no. too much work. I don\’t shop with under fours. I have four kids and don\’t need to make shopping a field trip.