Making Everyday Errands Educational

When running errands with your child, you may wonder how you can keep them entertained and calm. In addition to starting with a positive mindset and going at the right time, you can also turn daily errands into a fun learning experience for your child. Here are some ways you can help make everyday errands educational for your child.

Play games like I Spy

While traveling to your destination or waiting in line, you can play fun games with your child that will keep them distracted while also helping them learn. For example, you can play I Spy and help your child learn their colors. Depending on the age of your child, you can make the game more challenging by adding characteristics, like “I spy something blue and tall with something green inside.” In a similar way, you can help your child build their counting skills by asking them how many of a certain thing they see, such as cars, dogs, or trees.

Get your child involved

If you’re going shopping, it can be an ideal time to help your child build math and problem-solving skills. You can ask them to help you choose a certain number of apples, or ask them to pick a potato that’s lighter than another. In a mall or shopping center, you can ask your child to help you find the next store by describing it. For example, “Can you help me find the post office? It’ll have a big green bench in front of it.”

Give them a tool

Older children aren’t immune to boredom on errands, and this can be alleviated by giving them a tool to help them feel empowered. For example, you can give your child a calculator while in the grocery store, and have them be in charge of adding up how much everything costs. To help your child understand distance and direction, you can create a map of the route you’ll be taking from location to location, for your to child to follow.

Read aloud

The world is full of interesting ways for children to develop their reading skills. Depending on the age of your child, you can use errands as an opportunity to read together. With young children, you can point out simple items such as stop signs and store names, and help them read the words. Older children can help you by finding prices and reading package descriptions.

Children love to feel involved in and help with everyday tasks. With these four tips, you can help make your daily errands into a learning experience for your child.