It’s time for a shopping game – get your basket ready

What you need 

• A mixture of toys and objects that your toddler is familiar with 
• A shopping basket or bag 

What to do 

1. Play a little game of “I went to the shop.” 
2. Lay the items on the floor and invite your toddler to come shopping with you.  
3. Say, “I’m going to the shop today, would you like to help me with the shopping?” If your toddler says yes, then you’re ready to go. If not, leave the items out for a little while and see if they decide to come back to it. 
4. Pass your toddler the basket or bag and say, “What we should buy?” 
5. Encourage them to name the item as they choose it.  
6. If your toddler says the name of the object, say, “Great a car, and... what next?”  
7. If they don’t say what they have selected, you could say, “Good idea, you put the car in the basket, and... what else will you choose?” 
8. On your turn to choose, pick two things then use “and” to link them, you could say something like, “I’ll buy the car and this shoe.” 

Good to know 

This game can be played over and over, with different items each time or repeating old favourites.  

In time, you may hear your toddler using the word “and” without being prompted when they select their items.