Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt

What you need

• Paper, 1 written find-it list
• Crayons or markers, 1 pencil, pen or marker for checking off (optional)

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Before you leave, make a short find-it list with your child. Include something red, something starting with B, something from another country, and the heaviest apple, plus a few easy wins like bananas or bread. Add little drawings for kids who don't read yet. Choose a quieter shopping time if you can. Agree on store rules before you go in: one hand on the cart or stay where they can see you, ask before picking anything up, and walk in busy aisles.

1. At home, make a find-it list: something red, something that starts with B, something grown in another country, and the heaviest apple. Ask for help if you need it
2. Draw a tiny picture next to each item so you remember.
3. At the store, say the rules: hand on cart, walk, ask before touching.
4. Hunt for something red. Look high, look low!
   Ask: Is it a fruit, a vegetable, or something in a box?
5. Find something that starts with B. Say the 'buh' sound as you search.
6. Look for something from another country. Check labels for 'Product of' or 'Made in'. Ask for help if you need it
7. In produce, find the heaviest apple. Hold one in each hand and keep the heavier. Ask for help if you need it
   Ask: Which hand feels like it's sinking lower?
8. Check off each item as you find it. Pencil point down when walking.
9. At checkout, count your finds together and pick a favorite discovery.
   Ask: Which item was the trickiest to find, and why?
10. Now plan the next hunt, or invite a friend! What will you search for?

Play it again

• Color hunt: pick a new color for each aisle and find one thing in it.
• Letter of the day: choose a new letter and find as many things as you can that start with it.
• Mystery list: a grown-up writes a secret list in pictures, and you find every item.