The grocery store might not seem like an obvious place for AAC practice. It's loud, crowded, and full of distractions. But it's also one of the richest communication environments your child will encounter on a regular basis.
There are things to name, choices to make, requests to practice, and real-world consequences for communication ("I said banana and I got a banana"). That's powerful.
Here's how to make the most of it.
Before You Go: Prep the Device
A little preparation at home makes a big difference in the store.
Check your vocabulary
Make sure the AAC device has words your child will actually need. Open the app and look for:
- Food words. Favorites like banana, apple, crackers, milk, juice, cheese, bread. Add any your child commonly eats that might be missing.
- Descriptive words. Big, little, yucky, yummy, cold, more, different.
- Action words. Want, get, put, open, help, look.
- Social words. Hi, bye, thank you, excuse me.
- Protest and choice words. No, not that one, this one, I don't want.
Make a visual list
If your child can participate in planning, create a simple visual shopping list using AAC symbols. Three to five items is plenty. This gives them a purpose for the trip and a reason to use the device: checking off items as you find them.
Charge the device
This sounds obvious, but a dead battery in the cereal aisle is a missed opportunity. Charge the night before.
In the Store: Modeling Opportunities
The grocery store is a modeling goldmine. If you're still building your AAC modeling skills at home, a grocery trip is a great next step. Here are specific moments to use the device.
At the entrance
"We're going to the store. Let's go!" Tap "store" and "go" on the device. Simple. Sets the tone that the device is coming along.
In the produce section
Hold up two fruits. "Do you want apple or banana?" Tap "want," then the food word when they indicate a choice (or make a choice for them and model it). "You want banana. Let's get banana."
This is one of the best sections for AAC because everything is visible and touchable.
In the aisles
As you put items in the cart, narrate. "We need milk. Get milk. Put it in." Use the device for the key words. You don't need to tap every word, just the meaningful ones.
When you pass something your child likes: "Look! Crackers. You like crackers. Do you want crackers?"
At the checkout
"All done shopping. Time to go." If the cashier interacts with your child, this is a great chance to model a greeting. Tap "hi" on the device. Even if your child doesn't tap it themselves, they see you using it in a real social context.
Specific words to prioritize
Many of these are core words that belong in every AAC system. Here are the highest-value ones for a grocery store trip:
| Word | When to use it |
|---|---|
| want | Offering choices between items |
| more | When they want another item or more of something |
| get | Reaching for items on shelves |
| put | Placing items in the cart |
| look | Pointing out interesting things |
| yummy / yucky | Reacting to foods |
| all done | Finishing a section or the trip |
| help | When they can't reach something |
| go | Moving to the next aisle |
| no / not that | Rejecting a food or choice |
Handling Stares from Strangers
Let's talk about the part nobody puts in the AAC manual. When your child uses a talking device in a grocery store, people notice. Some will stare. Some will say well-meaning but unhelpful things. A few might make rude comments.
Here's what helps.
Prepare yourself mentally. Decide before you go in that you're going to use the device no matter what. Stares lose their power when you've already decided they don't matter.
Keep focused on your child. When you're modeling and engaging with your child, you're less aware of onlookers. Stay in the conversation. Your child picks up on your comfort level. If you seem relaxed using the device, they will too.
Have a response ready. If someone asks what the device is, a simple answer works: "It's a communication app. It helps them tell me what they want." Most people are genuinely curious, not judgmental.
Let rude comments go. This is easier said than done. But engaging with strangers who say unkind things in a grocery store rarely leads anywhere productive. Protect your energy for your child.
Making It Fun
A grocery trip doesn't have to be a therapy session. Here are ways to keep it fun.
Make it a scavenger hunt. "Can you find something red?" "Where are the bananas?" Use the device to name what they find.
Let them pick one thing. Give your child a real choice. "You can pick one treat. What do you want?" This gives the AAC exchange a real, motivating consequence.
Race the list. If you made a visual list, let your child "check off" items on the device as you find them. Celebrate when the list is done.
Keep it short. If your child is new to AAC in public, don't start with a 45-minute full-cart shopping trip. A quick run for five items is enough to practice modeling and get a win. Build from there.
After the Trip
When you get home, unpack together and model again. "We got milk. We got bananas. You picked crackers!" This reinforces the vocabulary from the trip and gives your child another round of input in a calmer setting.
The Goal Is Not Perfection
You won't model every word. You'll forget the device in the car at least once. Your child may throw a fit in the frozen food aisle that has nothing to do with AAC. That's all normal.
The goal is to bring the device into real life. Every trip where the AAC system comes along, even if you only model three words, is a trip where your child sees that communication happens everywhere, not just at the kitchen table. For more ideas on weaving AAC into daily routines for practice, start with the moments that already happen every day.
Download SabiKo free and take it on your next grocery run. It works offline, so you don't need store Wi-Fi.