How to make shopping with kids a fun activity
Going shopping with your kids can often be quite a tiresome task because they can easily get distracted and bored in stores, then start demanding you buy them interesting things, such as toys and candy, and they can even become agitated and throw tantrums when they don’t get what they desire. Thankfully, it doesn’t always have to be a stressful task. If you want to make shopping with your children a more calm, peaceful, and fun activity, then read through this list of helpful tips and tricks:
Organize your trips to the store
It is a well-known fact that making thorough shopping lists before heading to the store makes the whole experience much quicker and easier. You won’t have to spend any extra time in the store if you know exactly what you are looking for and it will also save you from buying a bunch of unnecessary items you’ll most likely end up wasting. Another great idea would be to make special shopping lists for your kids, either by just writing them down or by using newspaper clippings. You can also print out certain shopping lists which include pictures of all the items your kids need to get, as well as the needed number. Apart from giving your kids some reading practice, personalized lists will undoubtedly keep them busy in stores because they will always have a clear target and goal.
Make your kids feel special
When searching for a cute baby clothing store to get clothes for your baby or toddler, make your children feel special by including them both in the planning and the shopping aspect of the process. While it is up to you, as a parent, to help your children choose quality clothes made from natural materials, it is always a good idea to let them pick out the clothes they like the most, because it’s highly beneficial for their overall self-confidence and it gives them a sense of individuality and importance – making them more happy to be involved in the whole shopping process. An important thing to remember is to set clear budgets and boundaries in order to make sure things don’t get out of control if your children get overwhelmed with all the clothes they find interesting and fun.
Keep assigning jobs to them
Assigning lots of small tasks to your children while at the store is another great way of keeping them occupied, but still a part of the family activity. These jobs could be anything from crossing off the items on your shopping list and reading out the next ones to pushing the shopping cart themselves, and even reading the prices in the store in order to find the cheapest items. But the best task you could give your kids might be to have them bring you something heavy, like a bag of fruit. This job lets them experience a satisfactory sensory input to developing children’s bodies and it gives your kids a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment when they help you with some heavy lifting.
Play an errand day game
Playing games while shopping might be the best way to make this activity fun for everyone involved. There are numerous little games you can think up to make your kids more interested and occupied during the shopping process. For example, you could have them look for specific letters or words they might know, such as ‘new’ or ‘sale’. They might also enjoy looking for particular colors or playing food related games, like finding three healthy items they like to eat for breakfast every morning. You can also play a game of guessing the total amount at the checkout, and then rewarding the person who gets the closest to the number with a little treat, in order to make them more motivated to play and win the game.
Indulge in a shopping fantasy
When your kids start bombarding you with their wishes and demands, instead of saying no all the time, you may want to divert their attention by asking them some abstract questions like: ‘If the store only carried three things, what would you want them to be?’ or ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if we could only eat candy for the rest of our lives?’ Indulging them by stimulating their imagination will keep you from having to actually agree to their crazy demands, while leaving you with the option to carry the conversation long enough that your kids forget about their initial desire for sugary treats and shiny new toys.
