Eat the Alphabet

Let your child help you write the grocery list. While you add items to the list, talk about balanced, healthy eating. Which items on the list are fruits? Which are vegetables? Which are protein?

Read the completed list, pointing out the beginning letter of each word.

At the grocery store, let your child hold the list. As you put food items in the cart, help your child find and check off the food item – using the first letter as their clue. If your child is too young to keep track of a list, say the name of each food together as you put it in the cart, emphasize the beginning sound: “B-b-bananas -- bananas start with B!”

For more alphabet fun, play “I Spy” while shopping. For example, “I spy a food that is green and starts with the letter “B.”

Later, when you are eating lunch or dinner, ask your child, “What letters are you eating today?” and see if they can name the letter each food starts with. You could also ask, “How many sounds is your plate making?"