One of the best places to show and reinforce signs to your little eaters is at the grocery store! Stacks of colorful fruit and veggies will be easy to point at and talk about, so don’t be afraid to linger in those aisles and add some fun to your shopping when you have time. Yup, I know it can be stressful shopping with kids, but try to carve out some time whenever you can manage it. Your kids will start learning about the foods you eat and begin a rich relationship with food. All those bright colors and piles of juicy FRUIT you’re strolling by… YUM!

My daughter, Ella, hates bananas and so it wasn’t a sign I bothered working on because it caused all sorts of wails and groans. But I still signed banana to her every time she watched ME eat a banana because I love them. One day, when Ella was just 15 months old, we were at the grocery store strolling along and we passed a gigantic pyramid of bananas. She caught my eye and frantically started signing banana to me! I was so surprised at the time because it wasn’t a sign I was purposefully working on with her, but of course,

I shouldn’t have been surprised at all.

Our babies want to tell us what they see and do, and Ella was dying to tell me about the huge pile of bananas she saw despite the fact that she didn’t like eating them.

Be sure to sign and talk about all the foods you are eating and seeing together, your babies will soak it up and show you when they’re ready, I promise!

Oh! And don’t forget to sign when you visit all the farmer’s markets popping up for summer!

All those stalls of fresh produce and the lovely smells and colors will be such a vivid experience for learning. What are your fave foods to see at the grocery store?

To sign FRUIT in ASL, hold your letter ‘F’ hand with index finger connected to thumb and rest of fingers extended up beside your mouth, and twist that hand like you’re eating some FRUIT.

To sign VEGETABLE in ASL, hold your letter ‘V’ hand up beside your mouth, and twist that hand like you’re eating some VEGGIES.