How to Teach Children How to Shop for Groceries
If your child frustrates you by begging for an expensive item or putting food in the cart without asking, use the situation as a teaching moment, instead of getting angry and punishing them. Allowing your child to participate in the grocery shopping process will teach him the skills he will need later in life. Additionally, he will learn that money is finite and that he cannot have something just because he wants it. Eventually, when he learns these concepts, he will stop begging you or putting stuff in the cart; he will ask if it is something you can afford.
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Instructions
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Sit down with your child before leaving for the grocery store. Set out a certain amount of money (the budget) and create a grocery list that fits within that budget. Use newspaper advertisements and coupons to help determine the price of items.
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Discuss differences in price and quality. Teach your child basic math to calculate how much he is paying for a unit. Also, teach him to compare prices at different stores, either by visiting the stores or by using newspaper inserts.
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Practice at home. Set out food items and assign a price to them. Give your child a list of conditions, such as how the food will be used, and ask him to choose the best deal --- using logic and reasoning. For example, the condition might be to buy one apple for each member of the family. This helps the child understand that even though the bag of 20 is less per apple, it will be less in the long run to buy only five apples because none will go to waste.
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Use cash. Children do not fully understand the concept of a credit or debit card, but cash is tangible. When the money is gone, it is gone. Additionally, the child can count the money beforehand to make sure the cash you have matches up with the grocery list price amount.
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References
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