One to two years

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Shop till You Drop

Shopping is just one of many routines that can help your child learn. It's especially good for teaching new words and introducing preschoolers to new people and places.

What you'll need...

A short shopping list

What to do...

Pick a time when neither you nor your child is hungry or tired.

At the grocery store, put your child in the grocery cart so that he faces you. Take your time as you walk up and down the aisles.

Talk about what you are seeing and doing: "First, we're going to buy some cereal. See, it's in a big red and blue box. Listen to the great noise it makes when I shake the box. Can you shake the box? Now we're going to pay for the groceries. We'll put them on the counter while I get out the money. The cashier will tell us how much we have to pay."

Let your child feel the items you buy - a cold carton of milk, for example, or the skin of an orange. Talk to your child about the items. "The skin of the orange is rough and bumpy. Can Rochelle feel the skin?"

Be sure to name objects you see on a shopping trip.

Let your child touch a soft sweater or try on a hat or a mitten. Find a mirror so he can see himself. Talk as you go. "Feel how soft the sweater is. Who's that in the mirror? Is that Andre?"

Let your child practice his "hi's" and "bye-byes" on clerks and other shoppers on your outings.

Keep talking, keep moving, and let your child "help." "In this store we need to buy some buttons. You can hold the cloth next to the buttons so I can find the right color." Putting your toddler's hands in the right position can help him learn to understand your directions.

Leave for home before your child gets grumpy.

Shopping is one of many ways to surround children with meaningful talk. They need to hear a lot of words in order to learn to communicate themselves. It's particularly helpful when you talk about the "here and now"--things that are going on in front of your child.