Shopping with older school-going children can be a positive experience for both parents and kids. Encourage bigger kids to contribute or help with the shopping and before long, everyone will look forward to the weekly food shopping trip. Here’s how to involve children when buying groceries.
Get Kids to Help Make Shopping Lists
Ask the kids what kind of healthy snacks they would like and put the items in a shopping list. Use the weekly supermarket catalogue to help them make their selections. If the kids can read and write very well, they can even use the store map or supermarket layout to help Mum plan which items to buy first. Being given this duty will make them feel useful and in the long run cultivate the habit of helping out Mum with household chores.
Children Can Plan Weekly Meals When Food Shopping
Some children, especially girls, will enjoy helping their parents plan weekly meals. Some supermarkets even provide free recipes for mums and kids. Make use of these. Let the kids choose what food items to buy so that they can help prepare them. There is another advantage to this – kids are more likely to eat foods they have chosen and prepared themselves.
Teach Children About Healthy Foods
Whenever possible, turn a food shopping trip into an educational excursion. There isn’t a better place than a supermarket or health food store to teach children about healthy eating and the importance of having fresh foods in the diet. Spend more time at the fresh produce and meats sections than along aisles packed with canned and processed foods.
Teach children that oranges, kiwis and strawberries are loaded with vitamin C to keep them healthy and dietary fiber that makes going to the toilet easier; milk, cheese and yoghurt contain calcium to keep their bones and teeth strong; and lean meat, chicken, fish and eggs are rich in protein to help them grow properly. Kids absorb this information easily when they can see what they will be eating.
Do Math Activities and Money Lessons in Supermarket
A food shopping trip can also become a lesson in numbers. Teach them to compare prices and show them how buying in bulks costs less. Ask them to make additions and subtractions with different items. Get them to add up the prices as more items are put in the supermarket trolley. If counting in their head is a tad difficult, bring a calculator along. They will enjoy hitting the number pads to see what the total amount is. Shopping with older children is also a good opportunity for them to learn about using money wisely and sticking to a budget.
While the weekly food shopping trip is mainly a task that needs to be done, it can also be turned into an educational activity for older school-going children. To involve kids while buying groceries, get them to make shopping lists, encourage them to plan weekly meals, teach them about healthy eating and use the time in the supermarket for math activities and money lessons.
Found this article useful? Read also Shopping With Babies, Shopping With Toddlers and How to Save Time While Food Shopping.
References:
Grose, Michael. One Step Ahead: Raising 3 to 12 Year Olds. Sydney: Random House Australia, 2000.
Dr. Stoppard, Miriam. First-Time Parents. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2009.
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