Are you one of those parents who prefer to leave the kids behind when you go shopping - you can get it done so much faster that way, right? But hold on, how about turning boring, old, supermarket shopping into a fun time with your children while improving their literacy skills.

Encouraging your child to help you write shopping lists, read product labels and associate words with items they see in shops, is a great way to help them develop vocabulary and reading ability outside of the classroom. And it's a way for them to see that reading is essential to our daily lives.

Lorraine Rowles, the literacy manager for the NSW Department of Education and Training, says when children share shopping experiences with adults "they are surrounded with endless examples of how literacy occurs in authentic, purposeful, everyday situations".

Children will make connections between sights, sounds and words and attempt to put meaning to them. A shopping trip when you are not rushed for time is a great chance to put this into practice. As long as you pitch it at their level of reading and understanding, your child will enjoy being with you so much that they will not even know they are learning.

Let your child help you write shopping lists
This is a great way to get them reading words that don't always come from a storybook. Children can help you read recipes and then write out lists of items you need and link names to products that you point out in the refrigerator or the pantry cupboard. 

Encourage your child to read signs and labels
Help your child to follow signs to locate their favourite shops or sections within shops, such as toys or books. Goods that children enjoy, including food, will ignite their interest in learning more about these products. Ask your child to read the product labels out loud and talk about what they like about the item. This activity will help your child to develop their speaking skills including pronouncing words and will build their reading confidence.

Play "I Spy"
Make reading fun for children. Playfully reinforce letter names and sounds. As you walk through a shop or the fruit market, play "I spy something that starts with a 'd'..." or make a list together of words you know that begin with a 'p' sound.

Read directions together
At home, following directions on products with your children can teach them how to read instructions. Whether it's the length of time needed to bake cupcakes, how many cups of detergent to wash their favourite clothes, or how to build a toy out of many pieces, children can improve their reading skills with these simple tasks and understand the usefulness of reading in their lives. 

Your child will feel clever, responsible and helpful - especially after you reinforce it by telling them so! Later on, ask them what they remembered or liked about your shopping trip. It's amazing how an everyday task such as going shopping can improve your children's reading, writing, speaking and listening skills as well as their memory. It means quality time with your kids, too!

Hear ten literacy and numeracy tips at:
www.nlnw.nsw.edu.au/events.htm