At The Grocery Store

Grocery stores offer many opportunities for learning that can help make the experience exciting for your child rather than a trying experience for parents. Just make sure your child is not too hungry or too tired when you go.

Talk to your child in advance of the trip about something the family needs from the store. Then look for it as you walk the isles.

Notice what your child is interested in as you walk the isles and talk about those things.

Let your child choose a cereal or snack — give two healthy choices to choose from.

Help your preschooler find and cut out small pictures of food you normally buy and glue them individually on index cards cut in half. Your child can use the cards to find the items on the shelf.

Talk to your toddler about the shapes and colors of things. Ask him to name things that are up high, down low, or in the middle of the shelf.