Younger children can look for foods of different colors and shapes or practice reading skills by finding words on the boxes. That probably wouldn’t excite older children, but the grocery store is still a great place to learn.

Ask your child to practice some of this grocery store math:

• Saving money by buying in bulk. Suppose your store offers cans of soup for 50 cents but will sell you four cans for $1.75. How much would you save by taking advantage of the special every week for a year?

• Budgeting. Put your child in charge of your weekly budget. Challenge her to buy all the things on your list, plus two treats, and stay within budget.

• Graphing. Give your child two items, such as milk and bread, and tell her to keep track of their prices for three months. What is the price trend? Are there any particular times during a month when you could save money by stocking up?

• Volume. Ask your child to figure out the volume of the boxes of cereal or pasta you are buying. (Volume is length times width times height.)
  

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