The grocery store is a great place to develop vocabulary and practice oral language skills. The next time you’re shopping, stop by the produce department and explore the fruits and vegetables. Not only can you investigate the different types of foods, you can talk about colors, textures, and shapes, too.
- index cards or scrap paper
- markers or crayons in the colors of fruits and vegetables
Step 1: Mark several index cards with a different color. When you’re in the produce department, invite your child to choose a card.
Step 2: Go on a “Food Hunt” and look for a fruit or vegetable that matches that color.
Step 3: Invite your child to use words and gestures to show you where to go. You might say:
Where is a green vegetable? Which way should I go?
Step 4: When you locate a fruit or vegetable, let your child touch, hold and smell it. Talk about how it feels. You might say:
Is it smooth or bumpy?
I like the way this smells. It smells fresh and sweet.
This fruit is an orange. It reminds me of a ball. What do you think it looks like?
Let your child choose a card, and then pick up a fruit or vegetable that matches the color on the card. You might ask:
Is this a green vegetable?
Then say:
Yes it is! Do you see another green vegetable?
Let your child choose another one just like it.
Add shapes to the choice of index cards and invite your child to look for a fruit or vegetable that matches the shape.
