grocery shopping play

One of the coolest things Little S got for the holiday was a metal shopping cart. His cousins Neil and Nash sent it to him and it's perfect. Because it's metal it is super sturdy and with the red seat and handle it really looks like the carts we use at the store.

I've set up our wall unit before to be a store for Little S but today was the first time he could use his shopping cart to carry more items. We use boxes and bottles from our recycling bin, washed out in the case of the bottles and tapped shut in the case of the boxes, in addition to our pretend play IKEA food. I set up different sections for different types of food - like a produce area and a beverage area and he goes shopping.


It is a lot of fun and it teaches gross motor skills, colors if I ask him to get me a red tomato or a green onion, and it is food recognition. Little S loves to cook with me anytime I am in the kitchen for over a minute he's pushing a chair into the counter corner and climbing up to help. It's a mommy and son thing that we can share and enjoy and teaches so many skills. Right now he stirs things, adds things if I give him little containers of stuff like the do on TV shows when they cook, and tastes things for me. Later I'll have him measure (math and science) and  cut things (building up hand coordination and muscles for writing). If he hasn't been all that excited about eating something in the past the easiest way to get him to eat it is to have him help cook it.


These are some pictures of the wall unit and the shopping cart: