A Word Hunt at the Market
Turn a trip to the market into a conversation. Follow your child’s food choices, explore unfamiliar produce, and use new and familiar words in several real situations.
- 2 years
- Quick prep
- Farmers’ market
- About 5 minutes
Developmental benefits
- Language：Talking about foods before and during the trip gives your child repeated, meaningful ways to hear and use both new and familiar words.
- Cognitive：Choosing, looking at, touching, and smelling foods encourages your child to investigate unfamiliar things and build knowledge from direct experience.
Preparation
What You’ll Need
- 1
A grocery store or farmers market
Step 1
Talk About What to Buy
Before shopping, ask what your child would like to eat and invite them to name foods they know. Choose one food and talk about what it can become or how it tastes, helping your child use the word in more than one context.
What to notice
- Names a familiar food, such as an egg or a tomato
Vocabulary - Looks around the market and pulls you toward things that catch their attention
Initiative and Curiosity
Tips
- If a word is not pronounced clearly, respond to its meaning and model it naturally: “Yes, an egg—a big egg.”
- Focus on a few useful words. Repeat one across the trip: “Where are the eggs?” “The eggs go in the bag.”
Step 2
Follow Their Food Choices
When a vegetable catches your child’s attention, name it and talk about it. If they want it, help place it in the bag. If they do not, choose another and keep exploring.
What to notice
- Communicates whether they want or do not want a vegetable
Communicating and Speaking - Shows a preference for one food or vegetable over another
Sense of Identity and Belonging
Tips
- Not wanting to eat a food does not end the conversation. You can still notice its name, color, and shape.
- Offer one concrete job: “Can you find the cabbage?” or “Do you see a purple vegetable?”
Step 3
Meet a New Vegetable
Choose one or two unfamiliar vegetables. Look at their colors, feel their textures, smell them, and share their names. Connect each new word with what your child can directly notice.
What to notice
- Asks about an unfamiliar food
Attending and Understanding - Reaches to touch or hold a food that interests them Initiative and Curiosity
Tips
- A point, pull, or look can also communicate interest. Put the action into words: “Are you pointing to this? It’s a carrot.”
- For a vegetable with a strong smell, make a playful surprised face and name the smell. The expression can make the word easier to connect with the experience.
Better Parenting Content Team · Updated September 11, 2026