It’s the summer season and with summer come on the go outings to the zoo, parks, amusement places and other out-of-the-house adventures. These can be great experiences and super fun, but it is amazing how the fun can quickly devolve into fights, yelling, tears, and tantrums surrounding what to do next.

“I wanna choose!!!”
“Its my turn!!!”
“I NEVER get to pick!!!!”
“You ALWAYS get to choose”
(Feel free to insert your own family gripes here.)

Do you want to cut down on field trip fiascoes and fights? Who doesn’t? One answer is a choosing chip. Or Wand. Or Coin. Or doll. Or… you get the drift. Something small and easy to throw in a bag and carry around without losing. Oh, and keep in mind for your toddlers: find things that they cannot or will not try to ingest.

The Idea

She/he who holds the choosing object gets to decide where in the zoo, park or such the team explores next. Decide the order of the choosers before you leave for the day. Oldest to youngest. Youngest to oldest. Draw straws. Do whatever floats your boat, and feel free to put yourself in the line-up, adults. You are part of the team and should have a choice, too. No need to miss out on your favorites like the monkeys at the zoo or raptor fossils at a dinosaur museum. So go search your house for that great Choosing Chip and end those tantrums -or at least most of them.

Better yet, have your kids make a Choosing Chip. A round, wooden cut-out from your local craft store with a bit of paint and glitter… Poof! Fabulous Choosing Chip!

Now get out there and go have some tantrum-free fun.

As seen on Mommybites.com