Grocery Game for Kids
I used to love grocery shopping… pre-kids. And I still don’t mind it too much if I can manage to get out of the house alone to do it. But grocery shopping with the kids has always felt like a chore to me. It’s so hard to focus on your shopping list while keeping track of the kids, too. And when I do luck out with a cool car cart to contain them, they still spend half the time elbowing one another inside it. I knew there had to be a better way.
I thought about making them a grocery list to help me. But Sawyer is just a new reader and Priscilla doesn’t read at all. So they needed some visuals. What better than the packaging from the actual products that we buy? Check out the super simple grocery game I put together to keep them entertained and help me stay sane.
DIY Grocery Game
Every time I went to throw away a box over the last few weeks, I cut off the front of it and saved it. Then I trimmed the edges, punched a hole in the corner, and threw them on a couple metal rings from the office supply store.
Now when we grocery shop the kids take their grocery cards and hunt for their products on the shelves. Sometimes I gave them a hint when we were in the right isle. They had so much fun and there were far fewer arguments and behavior problems. Fun for the kids and easy for mama!
How do you survive grocery shopping with kids? Do you have any sort of grocery game you play?
Do you have any clever parenting tips or fun kids’ activities? I’d love to share them with my readers. Just contact me for more information!
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Bev O'Brien says
I have used the fronts and backs for matching letter games. The children are familiar with the products already. An example would be cut out the fr from Froot Loops as well as the oo’s. I attach yarn with masking tape then let the children match the letters. In Canada our packaging has both English and French so it is also a way to learn another language. Thanks Bev.
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
Such a cool idea to separate the parts of the words for matching, Bev! Thanks for sharing.
Jada says
Great idea! Thanks for sharin!
Emmy Gallodoro says
I found this on pinterest and I'm so glad I did. I have two boys and this defiantly makes grocery shopping a chore and it really stesses me out but nottaking them is not an option. This is a fantastic idea I have mad them their own list but once I did that and cut pictures from a magazine well I put milk on there and he made me get the excact milk in the picture. I ended up spending m9re on milk than I intended. So using the box of the stuff we actually used compared to magazine clippings is a fantastic idea
Kristy Miller says
This is one of those “Why didn't I think of that??” ideas! So simple and so SMART!! My kids are older, so I'm think I'm gonna tweak it a bit and have them compare prices between their “card” and what's on the shelf. Thanks for the tip!! Awesome!! KM
maryanne @ mama smiles says
Absolutely brilliant!
Thanks for sharing with Learning Laboratory – I plan to feature this tomorrow!
Pam in IL says
Your game idea is great! I did something similar with my girls when they were little, except that I used pics from the sales flyers. As they grew older, I used grocery shopping as an education opportunity.
By the time they were around 10, each girl took turns planning our menus and purchasing the groceries for that week. We had a set budget for groceries each week and it was up to them to decide the menu, what to buy, how much to buy, etc. Incidentally, we never starved and they never really made bad menu decisions.
Today, my girls are grown up and I'm confident they can plan meals and shop within a budget.
The Mommy Teacher says
This is a fun game!! Definitely going to put our ring together!! Posted on Craft Gossip!
http://lessonplans.craftgossip.com/?p=6832
Growing a Jeweled Rose says
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! I am featuring it on Tuesday Tots for the week, and will be promoting it through all social media. Thanks for sharing it with TT 🙂
Emily says
so clever! Thanks for linking to the first every craft link at Tasteful Tuesdays! Hope you come back again this week and show off your stuff! Party Opens tonight at 8:30. http://www.nap-timecreations.com
Jenn says
Great idea! My 3 year old would love this! Is that Tops brand butter? It looks familiar!! lol I guess other stores could use the same design, but that looks like the stuff I get from Tops! If it is Tops, we might live near each other!! 🙂
Anonymous says
Another mom shared this tip with me: Bring a portable DVD player. At Wal-Mart, they carts with an extra 2-kid seat attached to a normal shopping cart. Put the kids in the extra seats and put the DVD player in the seat area of the normal cart facing them. Pop in a movie, give the kids a snack, and enjoy shopping without distraction. Many people have commented about how brilliant it is and “why didn't I ever think of that?” It really helps!
Kevin Davis says
I love this idea! Thank you so much for sharing it! I think I can use this with a grocery list. I could give the grocery list to my 3.5 year old (who reads very well) and could make one of these packaging rings for each of my 2.5 year olds (who don't read at all). I think it is a great idea and a way to show them the effects of marketing at a young age. We could also work this into a study on money management and if the store isn't too busy, let them each buy their own part of the list. Thanks again!
Kevin Davis says
I didn't change the “reply as”. This is actually Rachel Davis.
Sarah @ Stay at Home Eductaor says
I love this idea. How creative!
Anonymous says
How funny! I literally was just thinking of this very thing for my 4 year old today. Lately I have been driving a few extra miles to go to the store with the free babysitting because I just haven't had the patience to shop with a 2 and 4 year old. But then I deal with guilt over not having them with me. lol! My thought was to take pictures (my son loves taking pictures) of a bunch of the items in our pantry and fridge. Cut and paste them into a word document, then cut & paste them onto index cards. Then when I do my shopping list I can pull the cards–in fact this would actually help me in making my list!
Anonymous says
ah. wish I would have read this earlier, before my trip to walmart with two rowdy boys 🙂 definitely am going to try this next time! love the idea! thanks
Buttons in a cup mama says
Really good idea !
OneMommy says
What a fun idea!
Tonii says
This is just genius!! Thank you for such a great idea! I will do almost anything to avoid taking my kids to the store (going at 5 am, etc 😉 but they would love this. Thank you so much!!
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
Thanks – I hope it helps you out!
Becca says
What a great idea! When my son was about 4, I started doing something like this with the coupons–I would hand him the coupon with the picture of the item and have him look for that brand on the shelf. With the number of different brands carried in stores these days, it can be a real help!
Pretty soon your kids will be able to do this comparison shopping activity that I did with a Girl Scout troop 5-9 years old.
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
Having them help with coupons is a great idea!! Would help them with learning numeracy and money concepts, too.
Sarah says
I made up a grocery list for my pre-reader by using Microsoft Power Point. I find clip art (or real) images using google images, copy and paste to PP, then type out the word next to the image. It gives her a visual and has the word next to it so it can help her learn to read (she just turned 4). I put it on her own little clip board and let her chose what writing utensil she wants to use to cross it off. She LOVES this grocery game! Little sister sits in the cart and behaves while big sister and I do the shopping 🙂 Not sure how to incorporate the little one when she starts showing interest…
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
That's awesome! Way to go, Mama! I thought about that, but didn't want to put in that much effort. I thought this seemed easier (er lazier). haha!
Marnie says
Love this activity!! 🙂
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
Thanks a lot, Marnie!