How do kids learn the cost of the foods they eat every day? Often much of the grocery store list making, purchase decision making, and sometimes even the shopping remains invisible to kids. Food can seem to just appear in the house, in the fridge, and on the table for meals.

You’ve bought the items on your grocery list, especially the staple items, a million times; you know the prices by heart. Or perhaps you think you know them. If you always buy the same items, you may be surprised that the cost of your staple foods does move up and down. So how can we teach our kids the cost of the foods they eat and keep up with the reality that prices fluctuate as well?

When To Do
A grocery shopping trip when you are not rushed

What To Do
Before you go shopping:

1. Create a simple three-column worksheet your kids can use to learn about the cost of food items they eat frequently.
   

   Food Name

   My Price Guess

   Actual Price

2. Select some items from your grocery list that you would like your kids to learn about on this shopping trip. Start with one food category (say, cereals, or fruits, or beverages); later you can repeat the activity with new food categories for more guessing — and learning.
3. Have your kids list the items in the Food Name column.
4. Have them enter their estimated price of each item on that row in the My Price Guess column.

At the Store:

• As you go through the grocery store, help or let your kids find the items and record the actual price in the third column.
• Sometimes it’s hard to find the price of an item, especially if it’s on a shelf tag down below the item. You may have to help your kids find prices, as most supermarkets no longer put prices on the items.
• Do this with as many (or few) items as feels right to keep this activity fun, and answer any questions that arise.

Variations:

• Use only the dairy (or nondairy substitute) items
• Use only your kid’s five favorite foods
• Use only snack foods
• Use only nonfood items, like toothpaste, toilet paper, soap
• Have your kid pick a variation

What You’ll Need

• Paper
• Clipboard
• Pen/Pencil

Talk About It
When you get home, look over the results. How far off were the guesses from the real prices? Were some items easier to guess? Were your kids surprised at the price of any items? Ask them why they think that grocery stores makes it hard to find out how much some items cost.

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