What You Need:
- Grocery list
- Pencil
- Calculator (optional)
What You Do:
- Write your weekly grocery list, leaving space next to each item for a dollar amount to be written.
- Ask your child to look over the list, think about what each item probably costs, and “guess” a total price for all of the groceries.
- Head to the grocery store with your child. On the way, explain that she will be rounding, adding and estimating the total cost of the groceries as you shop. Surprise her by telling her that she will get a prize if her estimate comes within $10.00 of the actual total.
- As you begin shopping, hand over the shopping list to your child. Every time an item goes into the cart, she should write the actual price and then round it to the nearest dollar (e.g. peas: $2.89 = $3.00). When you finish shopping, ask your fourth-grader to add up her list of rounded amounts and get an estimated total (bring a calculator or help her do mental math). Compare her estimated total with her “guess” from home.
- After checking out and paying for your groceries, give the receipt to your child and have her compare her estimated total with the actual total. If she is within $10.00, offer her a small prize. If she doesn’t “win”, offer a “participation prize” to keep her motivated.
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