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Simple Way to Keep Kids Entertained and Learning at the Grocery Store

April 5, 2016 by OneMommy

 

“I didn’t know grocery shopping could be so much fun!”  My son was standing in the produce department with the biggest smile on his face.  It had happened completely by accident.  I had originally brought the mini notebooks and pens, thinking the kids could use them to add up prices and work on real-life math while we were shopping.  But, when we entered the store I handed them the notebooks and gave them this simple activity that kept them smiling and having fun the entire grocery store trip.

(Related Post:  Make Your Mark: 30+ Projects to Encourage Your Child’s Love of Writing)

grocery store scavenger hunt -- simple activity to keep kids entertained and learning at the store

I never expected this activity to get them so excited.  What surprised me even more was that not only was my son having fun,  but he was having fun writing.  My son, who struggles with writing, who acts as if it is torture when he has to write his spelling words, was carefully writing in his notebook and smiling.

When we had entered the store I had sent them on a simple scavenger hunt.  I challenged them to find a fruit or vegetable they had never seen before, and they were having a blast, walking through the produce department and carefully copying down the names of each new item.

keeping kids entertained at the grocery store

 

I thought they’d each write one or two items down while I picked up what we needed, and then they’d be ready to continue shopping.  Boy, was I wrong!  They continued to scan the produce department, finding new items, and excitedly sharing them with me.   In fact, my daughter couldn’t wait to share her list with Daddy when he came home that night.

grocery store activity for kids

Like I mentioned earlier, I originally thought we’d use the notebooks to do some math work, but they were having so much fun on their impromptu scavenger hunt that I let them continue.  Their eyes carefully scanned each aisle we went down.  Not only that, but they continued to write down new items they found the entire trip.

keeping kids entertained at the grocery store

 

Want to take this a step further?  Let your kids pick one new item from their list to take home and try.  What a great way to get them excited about trying new fruits and vegetables!

 

“Mommy, can we do this again?”  My son was clutching his precious notebook as I pushed the cart to the car.  I couldn’t help but smile as I looked down to see his face.  I never thought such a simple, no-prep activity would get them so excited about grocery shopping.  And, yes, we will be doing it again.

 

You may also like:

  • How to Write Found Poetry — Fun Way to Teach Kids Poetry Writing 
  • 15 Fun Ways to Practice Sight Words at Home 
  • Games to Keep Them Learning This Summer 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Kids Activities Tagged With: fun with learning

Comments

  1. Lindsey says

    April 7, 2016 at 12:10 pm

    Love this activity. I need to do a variation for my 3-year-old. Tweeting this post–happy Thursday!

    • OneMommy says

      April 9, 2016 at 12:04 am

      You could easily have your 3 y.o. draw the new items he/she sees or point them out to you and you can read what it is aloud for him/her. (This would take a bit more time, but such a great learning opportunity!)

      Thanks for tweeting!

  2. Anne Marie says

    April 7, 2016 at 5:08 pm

    I love this!! I try to do something similar at the Farmers’ Market!

  3. Lisa says

    April 8, 2016 at 3:26 pm

    This is such a great idea. I think my 12 year old would actually have fun doing this.

    • OneMommy says

      April 10, 2016 at 12:09 pm

      It’s amazing sometimes how the simple things seem so exciting to them. And we had fun finding new things to share with each other.

  4. Sarah says

    April 9, 2016 at 11:44 am

    Great idea! I have my son read me our list and help get what we need. It’s great because it keeps me on task 😂

    • OneMommy says

      April 10, 2016 at 12:07 pm

      My daughter has had fun writing our list out for us and then I have her read it back to me at the store. 🙂 My son hates to write, though, so I was really surprised how excited he was by this activity.

  5. Mother of 3 says

    April 9, 2016 at 7:22 pm

    What a great idea! That sounds like fun.

    • OneMommy says

      April 10, 2016 at 12:08 pm

      Thank you. I loved that my son was so excited to be writing.

  6. Leslie says

    April 10, 2016 at 4:53 pm

    This is such a fantastic idea! So many skills and experiences learned with one activity…and it doesn’t require special equipment either!

    • OneMommy says

      April 12, 2016 at 11:50 pm

      They had so much fun doing it, they never even realized all the skills they were working on. 🙂

  7. OneMommy says

    April 12, 2016 at 11:48 pm

    I hope your kids enjoy it as much as mine did. 🙂 Maybe the bribe can be something new they find on the trip.

  8. Jennifer Abel says

    April 13, 2016 at 7:51 pm

    A great way to teach about food. Thanks for sharing on #overthemoon.

  9. OneMommy says

    April 15, 2016 at 12:29 am

    I’ve been doing a bit of price comparison with mine, too. I am going to have to give your idea of looking at the ingredients with them a try. I’ve been trying to buy better for us items — checking the fat content would be a great activity.

    We are going to have to try the fennel salad idea. It sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing it with me.

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