Fun and learning at the grocery store

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f: (919) 460-7450

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- The Grove School of Plano
  6800 Independence Parkway
  Plano, TX 75023
  p: (877) 664-7683
  f: (972) 208-1341
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  2590 Laura Duncan Drive
  Cary, NC 27513
  p: (877) 684-7683
  f: (919) 460-7450

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The Grove School of Plano
6800 Independence Parkway
Plano, TX 75023
p: (877) 664-7683
f: (972) 208-1341

Find us
The Grove School of Cary
2590 Laura Duncan Drive
Cary, NC 27513
p: (877) 684-7683
f: (919) 460-7450

Find us

We believe children learn through experience and doing. That’s why kids at The Grove School sing, dance, count, write, paint, clang, dig, listen and whatever else moves and excites them.

Our curriculum emphasizes both traditional academic subjects and hands-on thematic explorations that encourage healthy lifestyles.

Supported by smart, positive and infinitely patient educators, children reach key developmental milestones while they learn the importance of being socially responsible.

So in addition to being fully prepared for kindergarten, children who attend The Grove School have the fundamental beginnings for making healthy choices throughout their lives and contributing to their families and communities.

Fun and learning at the grocery store

Linda Loop | January 25, 2010 | Comment

grocery Can grocery shopping with children be fun and educational? You bet! Grocery stores are literally stocked with learning opportunities children of all ages will enjoy. Here are just a few math and literacy activities you may want to add to your list, next time you and your child go shopping together.

Math Activities for Younger Children
• Opportunities for number recognition and counting are everywhere! How many wheels are on your grocery cart? How many aisles are in the store? How many people are in the aisles? How many grocery-store workers does your child see? How many items are in your cart? How many people are in the checkout lines? Have your child look for numbers—on signs above each aisle, on signs at the ends of aisles, on price tags on shelves, and on the cash-register screen as your items are scanned.
• Compare the different sizes of similar items, such as the different sizes of cereal boxes, milk cartons, and yogurt containers, using words such as big, bigger, and biggest.
• Weigh different items in the produce department. Which weighs more, a potato or an apple? Do two potatoes weigh more than a bunch of grapes?

Literacy Activities for Younger Children
• To enhance vocabulary development, tell your young child what items you are looking for. Name the items as you put them in the cart or ask whether your child sees them on the shelf. Discuss what you will make with the items in your cart.
• Ask your child to look for the letters in his or her name.
• In the produce department, ask your child to look for different colors, for example, red apples, yellow bananas, green broccoli, and orange carrots.

Math Activities for Older Children
• Ask your child to count how many different kinds of the same items there are in various sections of the store. For example, in the bakery section, how many different types of breads or cookies does your child see? In the canned goods section, how many different kinds of soups are there?
• Discuss why certain items, such as boxes of cereal, are priced differently. Does the size of a box of cereal determine its cost? Does the type or brand of cereal determine its cost? Which type of cereal is a better bargain? Why?
• Weigh different items in the produce department to determine how many apples are in a pound or how many heads of lettuce equal a pound. Or challenge your child with simple addition problems. For example, if one pound of oranges costs $3.75, how much does two pounds of oranges cost?

Literacy Activities for Older Children
• Have your child keep a list in a small spiral notebook of all the new words he or she sees on signs around the store or on the items in your cart. When you get home, go over the list of new words together.
• In the produce department, have you child list the different varieties of items, such as pears and squash. What makes the varieties different? Color? Shape? Taste? Why might there be so many choices?
• Examine labels with your child. What kind of information is included on nutrition labels? Why are nutrition labels important?

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Linda is a program development specialist. Our curriculum benefits from her 23 years of expertise. She's also taught all age groups of children, with an emphasis on preschool and prekindergarten.