Excellerations® Shopping Cart

Description

This kid-sized shopping cart brings realistic grocery store play right into your homeschool space. Measuring 19.5″L x 13″W x 23.5″H, this sturdy iron cart features vibrant red paint and smooth-rolling caster wheels that make it easy for children ages 3 and up to navigate around your learning areas. The cart arrives mostly pre-assembled, requiring only the simple addition of wheels with included instructions and no additional tools needed.

Built from durable iron construction, this shopping cart stands up to daily use while maintaining its realistic appearance that encourages authentic pretend play. All four wheels feature casters for smooth movement, and the cart’s proportions are perfectly sized for young learners to handle independently. Like all Excellerations® products, this cart meets rigorous safety standards and is free from common allergens including latex, dairy, casein, egg, gluten, peanut, tree nut, and soy.

How Homeschoolers Can Use This Product

Educational Benefits

This shopping cart serves as more than just a toy, functioning as a hands-on learning tool that develops multiple skill sets simultaneously. Children practice gross motor skills while pushing and steering the cart, build spatial awareness as they navigate around furniture and obstacles, and strengthen hand-eye coordination when loading and unloading items. The realistic design encourages sustained imaginative play, which research shows supports cognitive development and problem-solving abilities.

Math Skills Development

Transform everyday math lessons into engaging shopping adventures. Use the cart for counting practice by having children collect specific numbers of items, or create addition and subtraction problems as they add and remove products from their cart. Introduce early money concepts by setting up a mock store with price tags, teaching children to “pay” for their purchases and calculate change. For older students, practice multiplication by buying multiple quantities of items or work on fractions by shopping for recipe ingredients.

Life Skills and Practical Learning

The shopping cart provides excellent preparation for real-world experiences. Children learn to navigate spaces carefully, understand how to organize items in a cart, and develop the patience required for shopping trips. Practice making shopping lists together, then use the cart to “shop” for those items around your home or learning space. This builds executive function skills like planning, organization, and following sequential steps.

Cross-Curricular Applications

Incorporate the cart into science lessons by shopping for materials to sort by properties, colors, or sizes. Use it during social studies units about community helpers or economic concepts like needs versus wants. For language arts, encourage storytelling during play or practice vocabulary related to food, shopping, and money. The cart also works well for geography lessons when you create an international market with foods from different countries.

Practical Classroom Management

Beyond educational play, this cart serves practical purposes in your homeschool environment. Use it to transport supplies between learning areas, collect and distribute materials during art projects, or organize books and resources for easy access. When not in use for lessons, it provides convenient storage for toys, games, or seasonal decorations.

Social and Emotional Learning

If you homeschool multiple children or participate in co-op activities, the shopping cart encourages turn-taking, cooperation, and communication skills. Children can practice being both the shopper and the store clerk, developing empathy as they experience different roles. The independence fostered by managing their own cart builds confidence and decision-making abilities.