Children and Garage Sales

Rummage sales, yard sales, tag sales, and garage sales. No matter how you say it, it they are quickly becoming an American pastime. They fill up the classified space in newspapers on the weekend. Sometimes towns will even have a weekend dedicated to them.

These sales can also be a great place to take your kids. You can teach them many things just by going to a sale. You can teach kids of all ages, you just need to know how and what to teach them about these sales. You will also need to plan ahead so it becomes a fun time and not like a day at the shopping mall.

Children under three.

As any parent with a child under three knows, any trip out of the house is a lot of work. If you are planning on taking your toddler to a rummage sale, you should try to take them to group rummage sales. Go to a subdivision or a citywide sale. You will not want to keep taking the child in and out of a car seat, so take a stroller with storage room on the bottom. Also, pack a bag with diapers (if needed), water, snacks, and a toy.

When children are this age, they will mainly stay in the stroller. This will be a time for exercise for the parent. They child will also feel secure in the stroller when they a stranger want to talk to them. This will be a time where you can teach the child to say, "Hi," and, "Bye." This can be a time when they can learn to socialize. They learn from watching you, so make sure you are friendly to the people there. You can also point out items and say the name of the item. This teaches them that everything has a name. As the child gets older, you can ask the child about colors and names of objects.

It is okay to hold the child's hand and walk around with them. But the problem will come where they will want to empty out things or take things off tables. You will not be able to shop if you have to chase after a child, but they will not want to sit in the stroller for an hour when everyone is walking around. Keep this in mind when you are planning your day.

You can also try to bring along another adult. One can watch the child while the other shops and then switch roles. This way the toddler will not have to spend the day in the stroller.

Children ages three to eight.

Children this age should not be in a stroller all day, but if you need to take a stroller or a wagon, feel free. The stroller or the wagon could also be a place to store your goodies for the day. And if you stay out longer than planned, it could be a place to carry the child after he or she becomes too tired.

Children this age will be learning manners. They will learn to say, "Please," and, "Thank you." They should be taught not to make messes. They are entering another person's home even if it is just the driveway and they should treat the place with respect. This is also a time to teach them they cannot get everything they want. Of course at a rummage sale, they should be getting something. It is the purpose of the day to find new treasures.

Children ages eight and up.

The lessons learned at this age are important too. The child can learn the value of money. Tell them to bring along their allowance, or give them a spending limit and stick to it. If they spend all their money at the first sale, they will have to learn to live with the fact that they can't buy anything else that day.

Children this age probably are having thoughts of having their own rummage sale to make money. Point out to them every once in a while that if the owners had taken care of a certain item, they probably could have made a lot more money. So they will see why they should take care of their own stuff.

Manners are still something that should be taught at this age. When you leave a sale, thank the person who hosted the sale even if you are not going to buy anything. Be careful not to make a mess. Children this age are watching you too.

Rummage sales can be a fun family experience. Relax, enjoy yourself, and look for teachable moments. And grab a few good deals too.