When visiting the
grocery store, Daniel often get bored, and I end up getting frustrated and leaving without all of the items on our list, or I
give up and let him watch
videos on my phone.
I wanted to get him engaged and was looking for ideas. I talked with
friends, browsed Pinterest, and found this really cool free printable, which gave me the idea to make his own special shopping list!
I downloaded pictures of items that are usually on our shopping list, and printed it. I wasn't sure it's going to work, but was hoping it will give me some extra shopping time.
When we got to the New Seasons Market, we took a toddler sized shopping cart, stopped at the kids' cart for a fruit, and I gave Daniel the list and a crayon. I explained him that we need to find the items on the list, and circle it with his crayon after putting it in the cart.
To my amazement, Daniel was so engaged! He was so happy to find the items, and check it off his list. We were able to get almost everything we wanted! Before heading to the register, I asked him to choose one special treat to share with daddy later. Daniel was so happy!
He later helped with paying and bagging, and high-fiving the team.
Most of the items on the list are produce, because I shop in different stores, but the list is so easy to edit, that I plan to do it for meats and other supply.
This list not only made shopping enjoyable, but also gave us the opportunity to learn about the produce. I taught Daniel how to choose lemons, we talked about smells, colors, textures, flavors, and we planned what we will make with the vegetables later.
Kids don't like to try new food, but when they’re choosing vegetables and cooking for themselves, they are more likely to try something new. I plan to use this opportunity to add a few new items to my list.
Since this worked so well for us, I’ve included a downloadable shopping list for you, too! You can download the PDF document, or the Word document, if you want to edit the list.
Click here to download the shopping list in Word and PDF.
