Jennifer Garner takes daughter Violet to the American Girl store

It was a back-to-school shopping spree for Jennifer Garner and her eldest child, daughter Violet, who were spotted at The Grove in Los Angeles on Wednesday. In addition to picking up some educational items, including a new book, the lucky 6-year-old scored some toys and candy, too.

Garner, who recently returned to the big screen in "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," and Violet seemed to do the most damage at the American Girl store. As they arrived, Violet was carrying her blond-haired doll from the famed collection, and it's likely their agenda included a visit the store's "Doll Hospital" — where a team of "doll doctors" treat any doll injuries — because it had a Band-Aid on its leg on the way out. Garner also carried a large shopping bag filled with purchases, including the brand's Starry Doll Carrier for Girls, which retails for $58.

As security trailed behind them to keep onlookers at bay, Garner and Violet also popped in at Pottery Barn Kids and Dylan's Candy Bar. Their sweet stop seemed to be the most fun. Garner smiled as her young daughter explored the colorful store, which sells every tasty treat imaginable. They also hit a book shop in order to pick up a new read from the Ivy + Bean series.

Violet is an avid reader — when she was four, she was photographed walking with her mom while completely immersed in a Nancy Drew novel — which must make Garner happy because the 40-year-old is an ambassador for Save the Children and wrote an essay earlier this week about the importance of early childhood education. "More than 60 percent of poor families don't have books in their homes," Garner wrote in a blog for iVillage. "It isn't that kids should be reading by kindergarten, but they should know what a book is — how to hold it, turn the pages, and how to sit still in anticipation of hearing a story."

The hands-on mom of three has actually stepped out with each of her children individually in recent days. Seraphina, 3, was the perfect shopping buddy for the movie star as they loaded up on supplies at the upscale grocery store Vicente Food in Brentwood, while 6-month-old Samuel looked as cute as can be during another outing with Garner this week.

When asked about her parenting style while promoting "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," Garner told Fox News, "It evolves all the time. With my first child I was a little more like Cindy Green in this movie, who is just obsessively trying to make sure her child is happy at every moment and always trying to control his environment and make sure he has everything he might possibly need. I was just a little bit neurotic as many first-time moms can be."And now? "You learn to let go of some of that, when you are working the hardest sometimes you are making it the hardest for your child, too, and you just chill out a bit," she added. "I went from having a diaper bag packed with 15 diapers, and 10 changes of clothes, and every kind of rash cream to throwing a diaper in my purse and being like, 'Yeah, we will figure out the rest. It's good.'"

From here, she looks like she has it all under control.

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