5 reasons to shop with your kids
Let’s be real. As moms we all enjoy a quiet, solo trip to the grocery store. But the reality is, there are more times than not, our little tribe has to tag along. Shopping with children can be a challenge, but it can also have great benefits for your children’s development! Here are the five reasons we believe you should shop with your kids in person.
It creates teaching opportunities. Every moment with a child is a moment to teach. Kids are sponges and are always absorbing new information about their world. At the grocery store your child can practice counting, identifying colors, learning new words, reading signs, handling money, and the list goes on! Take time in the store for your child to learn and you’ll be surprised how much more enjoyable of an experience you’ll have.
It develops great social skills. The grocery store is a prime place to model good manners and social skills to your child. Your child is learning phrases such as “Thank you!” or “Excuse me, sir, can you help me?” or “Have a nice day”. Depending on your comfort level with strangers, it can also be an opportunity for your child to practice their own social skills by waving, saying “excuse me”, and even helping you check out at the register if they’re old enough.
It is a sensory experience for your child. Especially in those early years, children love to observe the lights, colors, sounds, temperature changes, and smells they experience at the grocery store. There are so many opportunities for them to use their senses like experiencing the change of temperature in the freezer aisle or the smell of bread when you enter the bakery. Many children desire more of a tactile sensory experience when shopping, and that’s where the Buggie Huggie™ comes in! Using the Buggie Huggie™ tray, your child can bring coloring pages, fidget toys, or even playdough to the grocery store and be happily engaged while you shop in peace. It provides a great opportunity for sensory play.
It teaches the difference between wants and needs. Being able to differentiate what we need vs. what we want is a great life skill to teach your child at the grocery store. You can explain to your child that we need to buy chicken for dinner tonight. You want to purchase Oreos, but we don’t need to buy them because we have plenty of treats already at home. Even us adults could use a little help with this lesson!
It can be fun! Believe it or not, shopping with children can be fun! If you really want to get creative with your next shopping outing, check out our blog with games you can play with your kids while you shop! With the Buggie Huggie™, your child can also occupy themselves with activities, snacks, or if you’re really needing them to be distracted, a show on your phone using our Buggie Huggie Phone Holder™.
Alright parents, now let’s get to the stores! The benefits outweigh the risks when it comes to your child’s social and educational development. Make it fun and engage with your child as you expose their little minds to the big world out there.