Problem and Solution: Grocery Store Madness

Time for my weekly problem and solution.

Problem:
Whenever I took Killian to the grocery store, he was well behaved (relative mind you, he is 2) most of the time. However, I made the mistake a while ago of letting him eat the food we were purchasing before we purchased it. This became part of the routine, and Killian eventually was wanting to eat EVERYTHING we bought. So I thought, how can I make grocery shopping more educational and exciting for him, so he wouldn't want to eat so much, AND he was learning to help me?
Solution:
I created a simple 5 item grocery list for Killian to have. He was in charge of finding these things and putting them in the grocery cart.

As you can see, I have the numbers, pictures and words. Killian's beginning to recognize numbers and he just started realizing that words mean ideas. So this became an educational experience. I'd ask him what the 3rd item on the list was, and he had to look next to the 3. In addition, he "read" the words to me. MAN was this a hit. He was so helpful, going over his list again and again to make sure we had everything. Of course, I made sure I put the items in the order that we'd see them (I know our grocery store by heart of course). I made a template of the list blank, so I can fill in the pictures and words for each grocery shopping experience within a couple of minuets, and we'll be good to go. I might actually give him a few more items to find as well, as he started to get anxious to find the yogurt when we were only half way through the store.

So there you have it. A simple way to give your child responsibility, while educating them, and stopping any grocery-shopping boredom/misbehavior. Being a pre-service teacher, I know that most misbehavior comes from a child not knowing where/how to otherwise direct their energy. So, keep them busy with meaningful tasks, and teach them how to be responsible and helpful in the process.