H-E-B Buddy Buck Activities

If you live in Texas, you know all about H-E-B and Buddy Bucks.

My kids both LOVE to get Buddy Bucks! I should confess that Buddy Bucks are what makes our shopping trips easier. I often remind the kids (when they are arguing or in each other's space in the cart) "That is not Buddy Buck Behavior!" and it helps (only because occasionally we've had to leave without getting one before because we didn't "earn" it).

If you aren't familiar with the Buddy Buck system, you get a Buddy Buck from your cashier and put it in the machine to spin and win points. It gives you a sticker worth a certain point value and you collect them to save for prizes. 

Brilliant right?! Of course! 

EXCEPT my family tends to leave the points lying around or in the car, never to be put in the book or saved for prizes.  I'm sure this doesn't happen in every Texas home, but it is what inspired me to think of ways to use Buddy Bucks to make learning fun. 

Use extra Buddy Bucks when you play store. We have our own mini H-E-B in the playroom with a shopping cart and play food. We use these Buddy Bucks for money while we play. 

Do you always have to add up your Buddy Buck points for the kids and then add them up again a week later to see how close they are to a prize? If so, this idea is for you. 

Print a hundreds chart and color in each sticker's point value as you bring them home. Save those in an envelope and when you get to one hundred, put them in a bag or envelope.  Now you can count by hundreds as you save up and it allows children to take ownership in keeping track of their total. 

Even if you don't save for prizes, use this hundreds chart and Buddy Buck points for family members to race each other. Record your point values when you get home and the first person to 100 wins!

Add your Buddy Buck stickers to a graph when you get home. (We tape ours to a big piece of construction paper.) What number will win the race? After a number reaches the top you can add up the points with a calculator.

Other Ideas:
*Put the points in order from least to greatest when you get home.
*Put two stickers side by side and write the numbers that come in between.
*Add the numbers together from each visit or subtract them.
*Increase number awareness by getting a point for spinning the biggest number on your shopping trip.
*For toddlers, talk about (or just name) the number they earned. This is a great way to improve number recognition.