Do you have to go grocery shopping or run errands with the little people in your lives? I personally try to avoid it like the plague. But sometimes, it’s simply unavoidable. So how exactly do I keep 5 kids under the age of 8 in line AND keep my sanity in tact? With some ’sneaky mama’ tips of course!
1. I make my shopping list from the online site at the store I go to. When it prints, it prints pictures of the product in addition to the description. Now I have a list for my non-readers to share. We make a scavenger hunt of the items. Yes, I know exactly where the items are and the scavenger hunt makes the trip longer. . .but it also makes it more fun!
2. Each child gets to pick a treat. No candy, and no soda. It is a motivating factor to get to contribute to the grocery cart. Why? I don’t know–but it is.
3. I have the entire collection of Veggie Tale Silly Songs memorized. Yes, I look slightly odd walking through the produce aisle singing “Cebuuuuuuuuuu” and we occassionally get strange looks. I figure I’d rather have children singing and the accompanying strange looks, than children bouncing all over the place though.
4. Make it educational. Grocery shopping (or any other type of shopping for that matter) is an educational experience. There are math opportunities galore. And of course, you can always engage in a little philosophy by asking the age old question, “Which came first? The chicken or the egg?”
5. The Sneaky Mama’s 2 second boredum buster for long lines: have each child stand in one square or spot (thankfully almost everywhere has tiled floors divided into squares), and make up silly faces or a silly dance. The only rule is you can’t move out of that square.
The key word here? Involvement. When your kids are involved in the shopping, it will seem less like a chore and more like fun!
Until Next Time,
The Sneaky Mama
