Running errands with a toddler is about as easy as herding cats. Those of you who have or have had young children know exactly what I’m talking about. Those of you who haven’t reached this phase of your life have absolutely no idea. It’s probably better to keep it that way if you think kids are in your future.
All mamas know to bring a few small toys, a sippy cup and a snack when they are running errands. If you didn’t realize the vital necessity of these items, you will certainly never forget how much “fun” you had the first time you forgot them. Toddler melt down, much?
I try to get as many errands run in one trip as I can so I don’t have to run around town with Zack every day. Trust me when I say that it’s better for everyone involved. However, it got to be difficult because after a few stops he’d start complaining that he wanted to go home and would start sassing me, and it was driving me crazy!
I finally realized that Zack didn’t understand that we only had a few more stops left to make. It was a concept that he wasn’t able to grasp or visualize. One morning, I came up with his very own list of errands we needed to run, complete with pictures representing each store or activity, so that he could “see” what we were doing. It went something like this:
I know you are rolling on the floor laughing at my artwork, so I’ll just wait right here until you catch your breath.
Are you done? Okay, great!
I’d certainly never be mistaken as an artist (yes, that’s supposed to be a dog next to the Petsmart entry), but it’s good enough for my three-year-old. With this list, Zack is able to see the tasks that we need to complete. When we finish an errand, he draws a line through it and tells me what’s next on the list. A similar concept could be used for older children who have the responsibility of some chores around the house.
Zack’s errand list has made our shopping trips so much easier. Not only is he able to gauge how much longer we have to shop, but also I think it makes him feel like he’s participating by helping Mama know where to go next.
Try it next time you need to run some errands. It’s guaranteed to make your trip a little bit easier, and I know we all need as much help as we can get! The errand list definitely works for me!
P.S. Also, in case you were wondering, the “Treasure Store” is what we call Goodwill.
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
Still love this plan!!! Zack’s lucky to have a mama who makes errands fun!
I love this idea. We recite outloud each stop we have yet to make when we have a number of stops, but having something to check off would be even better. These days I hardly go anywhere except the grocery store, so that makes it easier, too.
Great idea!
Erin
I’m impressed with your art actually
And great idea-it will be a lifesaver when preschool ends in a week or two and my alone errand time is a thing of the past. Thank you!
Oh my gosh, this is brilliant! My 4 year old complained at me all day that we did too many things before getting to the train table. I am going to try this next time!
I love it! And truly, your art isn’t so bad!
What a great idea to help a little person visualize the process. Fabulous and I am SO stealing it.
I love this idea! I am so going to use this.
Cheers, Kiy
P.S. Do I get brownie points for knowing that was a dog before you told us?
Adorable!! I’m so lucky — our son is still so cool with errands/shopping. I don’t know why…could be we’ve done it since about day five of his life!!! (A trip by the toy section or dollar section first thing is mandatory though.) I love the list, so cute. This is so true — someone told me toddlers have no concept of time — like when you say, just a minute, just a little bit, etc. They have no idea what that means…so you have to tell them in other ways — like this!!
I love your drawings. And the fact that you call Goodwill is hilarious!!! I think this is a fantastic idea. I am going to try it. I have a 2 and 3 year old so errands can be a little tough. Thanks!
Eureka!!! Why oh why didn’t you post this 3 years ago?! That is a brilliant idea all across the board!!!
(And I think your art-work is great!)
Love it! Great idea! My son has autism and all the therapists and teachers keep telling me that pictographs are the way to go to give them an idea of what comes next… but I like this even better… words with my own drawings… and I can customize it!
PS – Love the Treasure store! It’s on the top of my list… and 5 minutes from my house!
I have to do this! My girl will love it.
This is an awesome idea!! My kids would so love checking off the errands on their list! And your dog drawing? Way better than I can do!
That is one great idea!! TFS
Great idea! My 3 year old says lets go home the minute we drop her sister at school. And she has only been in the car for 15 minutes.
Hehe~that is an awesome idea, except I think I’d have to add a surprise stop at the end of every list because I always remember just one more thing I need to stop for
That’s a great idea!! Your pictures are much better than what mine would be
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Hey I need one of those for ME……hmmm, what’s that say about MY attention span????
Suzanne
Great idea!
Genius!!!!!!
Love it! I think your artwork is great!
Thank you! Great idea. All my old tricks have stopped working.
i think it looks great!! very good idea.
I love this idea. My daughter isn’t quite ready for this, but she will be soon and I’m sure I’ll be VERY glad to know this trick. Thanks,
I don’t have any children yet, but I think that sounds brilliant!!! kudos!
Fantastic idea! Can’t wait to use this one when my 18 month old son gets a little bigger. Thanks!
Amy
http://craftydevil.blogspot.com
I remember you saying something about this awhile ago. So what kind of picture would you draw for going to the tan salon? Hmm, oh yea that’s right. I do that while Angry Toddler is at school.
very cute idea………I’ll be copying you, however my art work is much worse than yours!!!
A great idea!
OK, your pictures are much better than what I could do. Everything would be stick figures!
Great idea by the way.
Great idea – I do something similar when grocery shopping sometimes – make out a separate ‘kid list’ and Goodwill is definitely the treasure store! – although sometimes we also call it “The Land of Broken Toys” to get across the idea that we can go look at the toys, but most likely we’re not buying any!
I mailed you a little package today!
LOVE this idea! This will work great with my 3-year-old. Thanks!
I also love that Starbucks is number 2 on the list – very important part of running errands in our world!
Hmmm…my 18 and 21 YO kids handle the cleaning most of the time…maybe I can make lists for them like that–they already know that they have to be at ‘mom’s standards’ aka catalog clean (it better be clean enough for a catalog shoot.
Love this idea! I’m totally going to try this-our kids hate errand day because there’s so many stops. Thanks for sharing the tip.
I think the art is great! You would die laughing if I tried to draw it! I think I would confuse my kids! Love your idea!
~Kim
Great idea. I do something similar with having them check things off the grocery list to keep them occupied while shopping.
That’s a great idea!
~Susan
Great idea! My girls are not toddlers anymore (they are 7 and 9), but grocery shopping is a pain with them! They alternately goof off and fight with each other, which drives me nuts. Solution: I let one push the cart and the other manages the list. It makes the trip somewhat bicker free and makes them feel more responsible for what we are doing.
So not laughing at your drawings, in fact when I saw them I thought “That’s cute, I wish I could draw like that”
This is a great idea, of course I’m not sure even my toddlers could figure out MY drawings HAHA
I love this idea! I think my 2 year old would enjoy it too if I just start out really basic with maybe 3 places the first time. Brilliant!
I am soooo going to use this! and LOVE the fact that Starbucks is #2 on the list! We ALWAYS stop at Starbucks during our errands!
This is straight up genius! I love it! I’ll be linking.
love this idea!!! your artwork is so much better than mine could ever be!! i’d probably just cut out some pics from a magazine!! how sad is that?!
but it is a fantastic idea!
really, you draw well!!
Melissa
ha, ha – we call thrift stores treasure stores too!