Let's go shopping!! - a blog post about the benefits of children helping with the food shopping

Well hello dear blog readers,

It’s been a fair while since I have done a blog post but I’m back! Today, I am going to talk about food shopping. To some of you that thought may fill you with dread. It can be so embarrassing doing the shop whilst your child is screaming the place down because they either haven’t got their own way or they just don’t want to be there. Some abandon the shop/supermarket and leave with their tails between their legs whilst other parents continue with the shop. Either way is fine. You know what is best for you and your child/ren.

Well, how can this be potentially prevented? The answer is simple. Let them help. Now, I can imagine that this would fill some of you with even more dread. However, I am going to tell you some of the benefits (in no particular order) to your child’s learning and their personal, social and emotional skills development.

Let’s start with numeracy skills. It can help them learn and practice recognising the number numerals. If they are new to this practice 1-3 first and then build up to 1- 5 and so on. This works hand in hand with counting and counting out of a group. A good way to practice this is at the loose fruit and veg section. Tell your child how many of whatever you need and together count them out and pop them into the lovely little bags they provide. If they over count then encourage to count again. A good way to do this is to say, “are your sure? Maybe we should double check.” This way they don’t feel like they are falling at the first hurdle. However, even if they do get it right, use the “are you sure?” method anyway. That way, when they get it right a second time, you can give praise along with a high five or similar.When your child becomes better at counting out and recognising numerals 1-3, you can then move onto the bagged fruit, veg, bread rolls etc. These usually have the amount written on the bag/punnet. Encourage your child to recognise the numeral. If they recognise the numeral then happy days. If they don’t, encourage them to count the items and then refer to the numeral so they can start to learn that a number has meaning and can start to make the link between quantity and numbers.

Loose fruit and veg can also be a good way to teach and use language related to size and weight. For example, you could use potatoes for both size and weight due to the difference between jacket potatoes and new potatoes. You could ask “which one is heavier?” or “can you find the biggest potato?” or “which is the smallest/biggest?”

If you have a school aged child, you could extend further by adding a little bit of money into the mix. Teach them young the cost of things. If it is only a small basket shop, you could encourage your child to work out how much it might cost or if you/they have enough money. Or, if paying with cash (who even does these days? Contactless is my best friend!) you could encourage your child to count the change after.

Onto literacy skills. This should be easy if you’re a parent or carer that uses shopping lists. This can help keep your child on track by saying things like, “is it on the list?” If it’s not, move them on or say you can add it to the list next time.

Using a shopping list can also teach that words carry a meaning. If you have an older child (3 and a half and up) you could make them their own shopping list. As they aren't likely to recognise words, attach pictures of the item and how many of them you need. You could add a little box that can be ticked when it’s in the trolley or basket. You could have a variety of these saved onto the computer so that you can print whichever one you need, saving a bit of time before the shop. And, if you have more than one child helping with the shopping, simply give them their own little list each.

If you have an inquisitive child who loves to ask “what is/are” questions a headache might not be too far off. However, when out shopping answer them. There is so much to learn from going to a shop! If it’s an item of food they’ve never seen before then educate. For example,

you could talk about where it comes from, if their country is different than ours, if the weather is hotter so it makes it easier for x, y and z to grow etc. There is a learning opportunity in everything if only you know where to look.

What are some of the other benefits? Well, all that praise you’ll be giving the child will give them a sense of pride and of accomplishment. Children love praise. A little bit of praise goes a long way as sometimes it’s easier to highlight negative behaviour as opposed to highlighting the positive.

Another benefit is that it should help keep the child engaged. Therefore, they may be calmer; they have something to focus on as opposed to being there because they have no other choice.

So, before I sign off and bid you adieu, I will leave a little top tip. Rome wasn’t built in a day; start small. Start with a small basket shop before moving onto a trolley shop. Maybe you could treat them the first few times such as with a comic or a little sweet treat. Nothing too big that’s going to break the bank.

Oh, and give yourself plenty of time! It will make the shop longer, but in my opinion, the benefits outweigh the time it will take. I hope you give this a try. It can work, but sometimes takes a little time, so if you try it out, please don’t give up after the first time.

Thanks for reading. Keep your eyes peeled for the next blog from Terrie!

Josh and the Squirrels

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