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Supermarket shopping with little ones can be notoriously stressful. So, in an attempt to make it a fun and enjoyable bonding activity for all, I've created a food shopping list activity for your toddlers/pre-schoolers. This will help your child identify the different foods to add to the basket or trolley, and be your shopping helper bees. I've also detailed some benefits of going grocery shopping with young children and my top tips to consider before heading off.
Big Bee going through her shopping list at the start
I tend to do my big weekly shops online, but I do occasionally pop to the shops in person and take the children with me. The visits usually last between 15-30 minutes and I give them little tasks to help me, and make the shop fun. Recently we took a clipboard, pencil and the Head of the Hive's shopping list with images (subscribe to access our resource library here), and Big Bee and Little Bee throughly enjoyed recognising the images, running off to get the items, and then ticking them off. You could even turn the shopping list into a game of BINGO if you so wished. Now, I'm not saying our experience is completely stress free... I find that I have the opportunity to brush up on my negotiation, reasoning and communication skills. Oh, and to contend with moral dilemmas such as to whether I purchase the packet of biscuits (we don't need/like!) that Little Bee dropped on the floor three times or put them back on the sly. Note to self: add these skills to my CV. So why, oh why, do you do it to yourself I hear you cry? Well, firstly, both of our children seem to absolutely love food shopping, and if that isn't a good enough reason to go then here some other benefits of taking your children food shopping with you:
Day-to-day life - First off, they gain an understanding of where food is purchased and part of the process involved from getting it from market to table. I mean it would be magical (and very welcome) if those food fairies just delivered the food and it appeared in your fridge, but such are the realities of life. So, having your children appreciate the journey from food being grown in fields or produced in a factory (if you have done PYO with them then you can do some linking with that), then packaged and transported to the shops is a good lesson for them. You can even start spotting supermarket vans/lorries when out and about. They can help you write your shopping list, then buy it with you, prepare it with you and enjoy it at meal time. It opens up so much opportunity for different questions and conversations too. Food shopping is also a way for our children to learn about money or bank cards, and they can help at the end with the transaction. Big Bee loves tapping my card and then taking the receipt off the cashier.
Using their senses - You can encourage your child to use their senses and ask what a particular item smells like e.g. fresh bread, flowers. You can ask them about the colour and texture of the item or the packaging. I asked Big Bee what the onion smelt like before she put it in the trolley and apparently it smelt like a watermelon. This was certainly her way of not so subtly hinting that we needed to buy a watermelon...she's learning young! #proudmummoment
Experience different foods - Your little ones will be exposed to many more types of foods, and may be intrigued by foods that you don't necessarily have at home. You may feel inspired to buy something new to try as a family. You can also talk about food that are deemed as healthy and ones that are not so healthy.
Talk about different cultures - You could use your food shop as an opportunity to discuss how people from different cultural backgrounds eat different foods. I know that Big Bee has tried some new foods at nursery in celebration of different festivals, such as Diwali, or foods that are typically eaten in certain countries. You can reinforce that learning if you come across those foods whilst shopping.
"1 or 3 raspberries Mummy?"
Numbers and symbol recognition - Depending on what stage your child is at then it can be a great way for your child to practise their number recognition, and provide opportunities to discuss what different symbols mean. It was actually on this shop that Big Bee asked me what '£' meant. You can also reinforce their counting skills in a way that in meaningful.
Ownership - What better way for them to exercise their independence by giving them roles such as, identifying and picking out food you need and helping you to bag it up. Involving them will ensure that they take full advantage of the experience.
Social skills - It's somewhere for them to develop their social and communication skills. If you're looking for an item you can have your child engage with someone working in the supermarket to help you find it. They will also be interacting with other shoppers and the cashier on the tills.
Packaging/recycling - You can talk about different materials and food packaging - cartons, glass, plastic etc. and the importance of recycling materials. It's never too early to turn them into eco-warriors!
Little Bee giving a helping hand with the onion collection
My top tips before going food shopping:
Make sure that your little one(s) are not hungry when doing your shop. I recommend that you give them their snacks beforehand. Also, don't go if they are tired, ill, overstimulated or in a particularly bad mood. This applies to us adults too ;)
Don't plan to do your whole weekly food shop with the children (unless you shop at the speed of the Road Runner...with the children). A smaller shop is more ideal with the little'uns in tow.
If you need to set clear boundaries with your children then make sure you do this before the shop starts e.g. behaviour, what you're not buying etc.
Have your shopping list all prepared before going (ideally in some sort of rough order of how you would work your way around the shop).
Try and pick a time (if possible) outside of peak hours, because less busy will mean less stress.
Finally, don't go if you have limited time and are in a rush...a recipe for disaster (pun intended!).
If you have any shopping tips with toddlers then please let us know, and if you take our food shopping list out with you then we would love to hear/see how you got on.
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