Many of us parents intend to help our kids continue learning through the summer. We say we’re going to have a daily reading time or go through a fun math workbook. Then the summer activities get going, and we get going. Summer can be such a busy season, and we often find that we might feel like we are always on the go. So why not use our trips to the store and our time in the car for little learning times? If you think about it, everyday errands are full of opportunities to help our kids learn in a very real way. We can build their early math skills, their language skills, and their reasoning skills without a formal lesson or extra prep. There are actually some really simple ways to turn ordinary tasks into meaningful learning times with our little ones. Let’s use everyday errands to sneak in some learning with our kids!
Grocery Store Learning
When we think about ways to use everyday errands to sneak in some learning, the grocery store is likely what comes to mind first. And this makes sense. There are so many learning opportunities in a grocery store.
For math skills, we can ask our little ones to count items as we add them to the cart. This could look like, “How many bananas?” or “How many total items?” depending on your child’s level. Then there is the idea of comparison, or helping our child figure out which box is bigger or holds more. And then there is actual addition and subtraction with items in the store. For example, “We have 2 apples, and we need 1 more. How many will that be?”
Then there are opportunities for language skills. We can start with naming and describing items. A cucumber is long and green, the pineapple is big and prickly, and so on. And of course we can practice conversational skills by helping our children greet the cashier. We’ve linked to the ASL signs for some of these grocery items and activities too!
If your grocery store has little child-sized grocery carts, let your kids use one. It helps them with some real world experience. Plus, it makes the errand feel like a shared experience, not a chore to endure.
Post Office or Bank Visits
While post office and bank stops are usually really quick errands, they can still be great learning opportunities.
How do we work on math skills here? Well, there are likely numbers to help our kids identify, so they can look for numbers on signs.
Another skill is spatial awareness. There can be a lot going on in these buildings, and we can help our kids think about where things are while we wait in line. For example, we can point things out and emphasize that they are in or under or next to or behind something else.
And for real life skills, we can explain the steps of what we are doing when we prepare and mail a letter or handle transactions at the bank.
All of these activities allow us to model respectful conversations and real-world interactions for our kids too.
Car Rides or Walks
If you’re stuck in traffic or taking a stroll through the neighborhood, try turning that free time into a chance for your child to learn.
For math, see if your child can count how many red cars they see. Or help them to find numbers on street signs, license plates, or houses.
And for language skills, we can work on direction words, like “We’re turning left at the next corner,” or “Let’s walk past the blue house.”
Then there’s always the “I Spy” game to help us notice and evaluate objects around us.
So you see, we don’t necessarily need flashcards or a special curriculum to help our kids learn over the summer. We can use everyday errands to sneak in some learning. And if you need a little extra help with that sneaky learning, My Signing Time has completely ad-free programming that is always fun and educational.
Next time you’re out and about with your kids, remember that real-life is real learning, and see if you can use everyday errands to sneak in some learning.