Put your kids in charge of their own grocery list next time you go to the store!
I made my four year old, Will, his own list by doing a quick google image search for food items I knew he could easily identify, and copying them into a word document with two columns. I wrote the number of each item next to it, so he could carry the list and be in charge of what items were needed and how many.
Greg took Will to Whole Foods, and said the list kept him busy, contented, and involved throughout the entire produce section. (And got him quite a few comments from other shoppers!) Greg let Will get the produce himself, and Will even got to ask a Whole Foods team member for help finding the mangos. The team member offered to show Will where they were, and even asked if he wanted conventional or organic. Will said he wanted a vegan mango. Wish I’d been there for that one.
This strategy could also help curb the habit of children asking for impulse purchases – if it’s not on the list, we don’t bring it home. Ask them to help make the list another week when they could choose a treat to add. (Make a grown up list for yourself to be in charge of, to explain why some items not on their list ARE coming home.)
Raising my children with Montessori in mind means I try to always be thinking about ways I can keep my children involved in our household tasks, encourage their abilities and independence, and let them be productive members of the household. Will loves taking charge and being a contributing member of the family, and I love it, too.
Brilliant!
This is a great idea! I usually have my 3 year old daughter be in charge of counting how many items we need (like 4 bell peppers, 2 cucumbers, etc). Then she gets to put things in the cart. That keeps her somewhat occupied. I like the list idea for shorter trips – which happen quite frequently in my house!
Short trips happen all the time for us, too! We eat so much fresh produce, and I find it’s bulky to store more than a few days worth in the fridge, plus I prefer to eat everything as fresh as possible. That combined with a short attention span from my kids means we’re at Whole Foods three times a week at least!