Fun between apples, cereals, and the fish counter: tips for grocery shopping with kids
17 April, 2018
For most parents, grocery shopping with children is an impossible equation. Yet, it's one of the most precious shared moments for children's learning: they can touch, smell, and even taste food, if you take the time to stop. But it's much more than that! At the grocery store, you can have the opportunity to teach a variety of other everyday concepts, whether cognitive, social, temporal, or spatial. But first, as adults, we must stop seeing grocery shopping ourselves as a chore, take the time to prepare for this outing, and learn to appreciate it.
How to prepare well?
Many of you probably already go grocery shopping with a list of items to buy; if that's the case for your family, all you have to do is adapt it for your child!
For ages 0-5:
For children who cannot read or write, you can involve them before the outing by asking them to cut out items from your list directly from flyers and draw the missing items. Then, place each item in envelopes identified by food section to avoid hassle once at the grocery store.
For ages 6-12:
Gradually, you can ask your child to write the grocery list under your supervision and take the opportunity to correct some spelling mistakes along the way. To increase the difficulty level, you could also ask your child to sort items into different categories (meats and fish, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, cereal products, etc.) to make your search easier once you get to the supermarket, while introducing some knowledge.
For ages 13-17:
For your teenagers, you could ask them to write the list according to the week's meals that have been pre-selected. This way, you can assess their thinking by validating whether they consider everything necessary to cook a meal according to a given recipe. For those on the path to complete autonomy, you could add a budget not to exceed to see if they are able to accurately calculate the necessary costs to avoid unpleasant surprises when paying the bill.
Once at the grocery store, where to start?
Before even going to the supermarket, it's important to ensure it's an opportune moment so you don't feel rushed or preoccupied; this would only increase your impatience and inevitably make the activity boring for both you and your child. Seize the moment to work with your child on sociability, mutual aid, politeness, patience, perseverance, and organization, among other things. Remember, however, that your child observes you, so don't just state your expectations, but apply them.
For ages 0-5:
After placing your child in the cart, give them one image at a time so they can find the food themselves, much like a "Seek and Find" game. You can guide them if necessary by suggesting they look for the food by color, for example, and offering help if you see them getting discouraged. Be patient, you'll probably find the food before them!
For ages 6-12:
If you are comfortable and your child's temperament allows, you can each take a cart to start. This is when food categories will make it easier for your child to search through the aisles. You can give them the grocery list they wrote themselves and suggest different strategies for organizing: a pencil to cross out or check off items placed in the cart, or finding each item one after the other in the order they were written. Don't hesitate to offer your help if they ask for it.
For ages 13-17:
Take one or two carts, as you prefer, and let your child take the reins to observe their strategies and reflections between similar products. Take the opportunity to introduce concepts of price per kg (indicated on labels), explain the difference between well-known brands and generic brands, and also include the marketing tricks that large supermarkets use to draw our attention to certain products rather than others. The combinations of knowledge to share with your teenager are immense!
Once at home
Upon your return, take a few minutes to debrief verbally with your child, regardless of age. Ask them how they found the experience, any apprehensions they had, what they liked or disliked, what they learned, and what they will do differently next time. Don't hesitate to mention your positive impressions. If you've bought new foods, I invite you to take a short snack break to taste them together and share that moment. You can even start preparing dinner together. Note that if you have more than one child, it's just as possible! You just have to redistribute tasks or make grocery shopping a special moment for one of them and alternate between each child every week.
Looking for more practical tips and advice to make meal planning an interesting and educational activity? Discover our mealtime survival kit!