How to make a cool "grocery store" at home

by Rachel Mosteller (Subscribe to Rachel Mosteller's posts) Jan 21st 2007 2:01PM

Categories: Development/Milestones Babies, Daycare & Education, Toys

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It seems as if my family makes the trek down to the Children's Museum about twice a year. This time, we had a breakthrough: My daughter, who is 2.5, left the baby/toddler room and headed out into the actual museum.

I was pretty inspired by the pretend grocery store section of the museum. They had plenty of boxes from the grocery store, such as macaroni and granola bars, taped shut and placed on shelves. They also had empty milk cartons and cans for the kids' enjoyment.

That got me to thinking about how much fun it could be for my daughter to play "grocery" store at home. I have to admit, sometimes I feel like I'm slacking in the parenting department, especially when it comes to fun play activities.

We already have a little shopping cart, so I'd love to set up a store for her to play in. Have you ever done something like this for your kids? How did it work out? Any tips?

Comments (4)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

LS 1-21-2007 @ 3:01PM

Don't forget the cash register! My neighbor has one that my little guy absolutely loves. When we're there, I sit on the floor and hand him things that he scans then beeps the register. He loves it!

Bonnie 1-21-2007 @ 3:37PM

We have a shopping cart filled with plastic food for our just-turned-three-year-old. He loves to set up a 'meal' for us with some of his favorite foods. Especially when I am working in the kitchen getting dinner ready, he pipes up from the playroom "I'm just getting our pretend dinner ready so we can eat that first!"

Oh, and pick up a membership to CMH, so worth it! That place rocks. My son didn't really venture out of the toddler area until after he was two, but these days it seems like everytime we go (and we don't live close either) he has a completely different experience. Of course, the grocery store is always a highlight!

Renee 1-21-2007 @ 3:52PM

My 3 y.o. daughter loves to play grocery store -- with me or by herself. I'll line up her play food on the bookshelves and she'll load 'em in her cart. I'm usually the "checkout lady". We don't have a cash register but the coffee table is the conveyor belt. She even puts a bear or something in the shopping cart and I'll give the bear a sticker like they do for her at Kroger. Play food is just magical for her and is used in all manner of play, not just for playing grocery store. It's useful for tea set parties, playing "school", and other convoluted fantastical scenarios that I couldn't even begin to explain here!

Lea 1-21-2007 @ 9:32PM

Yes! Baby A loves to play grocery store. She took the lead on this, though--I can't claim any super-parenting inventiveness. Like your daughter, she started out with a toy cart and some fake groceries. I sometimes give her empty boxes from our pantry--oatmeal, things like that.

She got a cash register for Christmas, and that's been a great addition. She also has the velcro cutting food from Melissa and Doug. That's her produce section. Target's is good, too.

You could tear blank paper into strips and make pretend receipts. Baby A loves that...I'll write "Baby A's Market" at the top, and sometimes she'll try to write some numbers or words on them. You can make play money the same way.

- L