In continuation of our “Language at the…” Series, our next stop is the grocery store. The grocery store is an undervalued place for speech and language growth and really should not be overlooked! Let’s talk a bit about strategies and then we’ll put our plan into action!

Strategy #1: Bringing Attention to Literacy/Print Awareness

By bringing awareness to literacy and print materials, we mean that you, as the parent/guardian/caregiver, can point out labels and signs and read them to the child. This gives them the opportunity to see that those symbols mean something. When you’re at the grocery store, you can point out the signs up ahead and say “bread...that means bread is here”. Your child may follow your point and notice the sign and then connect it with acquiring the bread. After using this strategy for a period of time, oftentimes children will start to point and “read” the signs too whether they’re reading it correctly or coming up with their own interpretation for those symbols.

Strategy #2: Praising Communicative Attempts

Here’s one for the non-parent/caregiver role, or if you find yourself at the grocery store without any kids. You know that child who is waving and saying “hi!” to every person you pass at the grocery store? If you’re a recipient of these “hello’s”, give the children what they want! Say hi and they will love it. It encourages them to continue communicating with others since it’s so reinforcing to receive a “hi” in return!

Strategy #3: Joint Attention

Ah, joint attention. One of our favorites! Joint attention is a perfect strategy for the little ones who are in the early stages of communication. Joint attention is simply observing the same thing or event as your child or engaging together. I know grocery shopping with a little one isn’t always easy but if you are able to be present and observe what your child is observing and connect with your child by laughing at the orange rolling into the cart, or maybe you hand your child items to throw into the cart. Ultimately, connection leads to communication, whether verbal or not.

There are really endless ways to foster communication in the grocery store. If you have other ideas, comment below and let us know! We love sharing ideas and learning from you, too!

And, as always, if you suspect your child’s speech and language development may not be quite on track, you are welcome to call us for a free 15-minute consultation and we would be happy to discuss your questions/concerns.