Learning through the Senses
Getting Under-Fives Involved in the Weekly Shopping Trip
Shopping with young children can be a chore. But if you engage them in helping you they will not only be better behaved, they will be learning too.
With bright colours, unusual textures and a diverse choice, the fruit and vegetable aisle is a great place to start teaching your child through the senses. Here are some simple ideas to get your little ones involved.
Counting
Count as your child places fruit and vegetables into a bag. Ask questions: How many apples do you need? Perhaps you need two potatoes for each member of the family, or one apple for each day of the week. If your child is confident, count in pairs. Besides learning numbers, your child will be developing an understanding of the importance of counting.
Colours
Talk about colours as you add to your basket. Would your child like green or red grapes? Orange or yellow peppers? For younger children, tell them the colour of each item as you shop. Talk about why some fruits and vegetables vary in colour. Explain, for instance, that yellow bananas are ripe whilst green bananas are not yet ready to eat. For older children, compare different shades: pale green grapes and dark green broccoli.
Touch
Let your child touch each item before he puts it in your basket. How does it feel? Help him use words like ‘hairy,’ ‘smooth,’ ‘hard,’ ‘soft,’ ‘curved,’ ‘prickly,’ ‘bumpy,’ ‘rough.’ Fruit and vegetables come in all different shapes and sizes, and children love to hear new words like ‘oval’ and ‘bulbous.’ This is a fun way to expand his vocabulary.
Something New
Look for items you would not normally choose. Try an exotic fruit like kiwi or papaya. Ask him if he can help you find celery or parsnips. Anything he may not have seen or tried before. Searching for interesting items will engage him and broaden his knowledge of food.
Taste
Back home, cut some fruit and vegetables and talk about what’s inside. Encourage him to ask questions. Why are there seeds? Where does the fruit grow? Why do you think it tastes sweet? Not only will he be learning about taste, you will be enhancing his language skills, helping him to develop a healthy questioning attitude, increasing his knowledge and understanding of the world, and promoting a positive attitude towards good food.
Fruit and Vegetable Painting
Lastly, get creative and have some fun! Get an apron and some paints and cut some fruit and vegetables in half. Carve different shapes out of potatoes and use them to print. Dip different vegetables in paint and look at the patterns they make on paper. Let your child use pears, carrots, cucumbers, and anything else you can spare, to make a cool shape picture!
