How to Make Grocery Shopping Fun for Kids

Grocery shopping isn't how most parents would want to spend their time, especially if they have to take their kids with them. Children don't like grocery shopping because it's boring to wander up and down aisles filled with food instead of more interesting things, such as toys. You can, however, make your grocery shopping trip more enjoyable for everyone if you plan ahead and have games and activities to keep your kids busy.

Instructions

    • 1

      Put each child in charge of a certain letter and ask them to be responsible for finding items on your list that start with their letters. One child might be in charge of "m" and responsible for putting milk and mayonnaise in the cart, while another child will be in charge of "p" and be in charge of finding pickles and pears. In addition to helping them with letter recognition, hunting for specific foods will keep your kids occupied while you get the things you need.

    • 2

      Have a taste scavenger hunt instead. Rather than letters, assign your child a taste, such as sour, sweet or spicy. For example, ask your children to find something sweet, so one might point to cookies while another points to soda. While your children are busy hunting for the foods, you can work on filling your cart with groceries.

    • 3

      Play a rhyming game while you're shopping. As you choose an item to put in your cart, such as eggs, challenge your children to think of another food that rhymes with it, such as chicken legs in this case. Since coming up with rhymes can be tricky, this activity will keep your children busy thinking while you shop.

    • 4

      Ask your children to weigh the produce while you're shopping for apples, oranges, bell peppers, and other fruits and vegetables. Challenge your children to find the heaviest pear or the lightest kiwi. They'll be so busy weighing the produce that you'll be able check items off your list more quickly.

    • 5

      Play a game to build a meal. This is particularly useful on those long days that end with a trip to the grocery store so you have something to feed your family for dinner. Assign each of your children a part of the meal and ask them to choose something to meet that requirement. For example, ask one child to choose a type of meat and another child to select a vegetable to serve as a side dish. You won't have to come up with a dinner plan, and the entire trip will be more enjoyable for everyone.

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