Whether you're grocery shopping with a toddler or an elementary aged child, a common grocery trip can become a natural and fun learning opportunity for you child. Don’t feel that the entire grocery run needs to be a language therapy session, but take a few moments to talk about what you see and what is on your list.

The produce section is a language rich environment at your fingertips! Toddlers love to chat about colors and size. Compare and contrast fruits or vegetables as you put them in your cart. “Oh look at this green broccoli, it looks like a tree” “these green onions are long” or “this orange is round and these orange baby carrots are short”.

Shopping is also a great time to target counting. Count the oranges or other fruit as you put them in the cart. Older children might like to do some simple addition. How many apples and oranges do we have in the cart? Or you could play I spy in the produce section or ask your child to tell you three things that are green or three foods that are crunchy as you shop. Children that are learning to read could read the grocery list off your phone.

Some of the best learning experiences take place in everyday settings. Next time you go to the grocery store with your child, see if the dreaded grocery trip can turn into some language rich moments!