School run with 3 year old

[KCpip]

How do you do the school run with a 3 year old too? We have a 25-30 mins walk to school. My 3 year old takes sooo long to walk but isn’t skilled enough for scooter or balance bike. She puts her feet down in the buggy and tries to get out of it which drives me mad! Wish there was an obvious east way to do the journey. Trying to avoid the car

Does she have a little kids buggy she could push a dolly (or a dinosaur!) In?

Have you tried bribery?

If you’re still using a buggy it’s not surprising it takes so long. Stop using it and go out on plenty of long walks and she will get faster. Practice makes perfect. Set off with an extra 5-10 mins to get there

Start off assuming it will take you 50-60 minutes. It will get easier and quicker as the 3yo gets fitter.

Does she have other coordination issues? No scooter at 3 unusual. Mine were competent by 2.5.

My just turned 3 year old goes to nursery and back on his balance bike, as do most of his classmates. I’d suggest picking either the scooter or the balance bike and practicing/persevering with it. It’s the best solution really.

@Hercwasonasnowball it's not that unusual! 2.5 is relative early for both. It's boy just coordination, there's a range of factors that may lead to children being later: how early they are introduced to them, how often they go out on them, how interested/motivated they are to learn etc. Not forgetting if they live in an environment where it can be taken out regularly. Eg smooth surfaces not close to traffic to start.

Meant not, not boy

Fatas My experience is that by 3

By 3 all the children round here can use a scooter.

Perhaps op needs to persevere with it.

We just walk, it took a bit longer but the practice really helped dc and we have found its now alot faster. I feel the progress that has been made was def worth persevering. Similarly to you it was only a half a mile walk and dc wasnt keen on scooters/balance bikes.

I have a oyster buggy for my baby and DS 3 while he won't sit in it will happily stand on the back, but only on the way home when he is a little tired. Is a buggy board an option? At least for the way home :)

Oh and ip ignore some of the ignorant comments on here as all children are different and are confident in different things at different times..some people can be so opinionated! I remember as a child being useless at roller skates but then great at running....what a boring world if we were all the same!

Stick my comment isn't ignorance. I have experience with a lot of children age 2-3 and by 3 the majority can scoot. Perseverance may be necessary and lots of practise.

Other options are a buggy board.

Not very eco friendly but could you start off by driving part of the way so the walk is shorter, and gradually make it longer over a period of weeks so you're not using the car
Scooting itself doesnt seem a problem for some small children but a lot near the school my DC were at struggled with stopping or changing direction to accommodate other people walking in the opposite (or even same) direction!

Can you pull her on the scooter?

I agree all kids are different and develop at different speeds. Having done a school run for many years I can say there may be a 2 year old on a balance bike but equally other kids might never master it and go straight to a 2 wheeler at an older age.....forget those comments.

I would involve her at 3.....how does she want to do it? If she wants to walk make a deal that she uses the buggy until X and then you let her out to walk the last bit for speed. Or she buggys there and walks home. Or maybe a buggy board would suit her. Or a scooter you can pull along (you need a reasonably tall handle to make that easier). -- one of the joys of being 3 is that a walk is a source of amazement as they see the flowers, the cracks in the pavement, the cars etc etc......but it can be frustrating when you have to be somewhere. (If she goesnim the buggy can you distract her with a whiteboard and pen....ask her to mark how many cars she sees - show her how to draw a line for each car.....or how many people another day etc then she will be busy and forget to try to get out)

I have 3 kids....they regularly used the buggy for school runs until.....gasp....they started school.....they can walk for miles they are really fit kids.....but sometimes we had already had a busy day and they were tired. There is no shame in that.

Herc I think it is important to acknowledge that some children don't enjoy the same as others though and op said hers was having difficulty. Some dc arent as active
or confident as others and can start these things later. I'm sure op knows her child best.
I do agree that perseverence and practice helps with alot of things including walking.

Also the drive part way as one pp suggested is a great idea to help build stamina gradually.

I think you just have to leave earlier to account for the slower walking pace. It will be hard for her to develop her walking/scooting skills if she is always in a buggy.

DS2 is 3 and hasn’t mastered his scooter (he doesn’t like to scoot or use a balance bike - shock!). He also walks very slowly, but he goes to nursery school & we haven’t used a pushchair for ages so he just walks, it takes a bit longer.

We walk DS1 to nursery though have been doing it less since DS2 started. He’s just turned three and is just getting to grips with a balance bike and scooter, just intent something that comes naturally to him. But we try not to use those for nursery run because we want to give him time to get used to it without pressure. The rest of the time it’s the double buggy, if they are happy in that then it’s fine!

My dd is 3 and she can use the scoter but she isn't great. Takes us a while but she can do it.
On the way to school we usually have competitions to see who can find things first, this usually keeps us moving at a good speed (I.e who can find the red door, next grid, atm it's Christmas trees and decorations)
X

Thanks for all the comments. It’s all got me thinking..
Car is not always an option but this could work part route on days I have access to one
Buggy board would be great but we have a pushchair rather than a heavy duty buggy
Scooter/balance bike. I haven’t got any concerns about her progress. I think my comments were misunderstood. I just meant she doesn’t have the motivation/stamina to stay on it that far. She’ll go so far then step off it/get distracted - fall off etc and we walk along a busy road. She is getting a new scooter with tow handle for her birthday so I might persevere with this over time
Probably persevering with walking is a good call because this is always what she wants to do

My DS is 3.5 And is not proficient enough to use a scooter on the pavement safely

They do not have the confidence and haven’t mastered turning or dropping well yet

He’s had it since he was 2, not had a buggy since he could walk so it’s not that he’s just lazy either

At that age we used a buggy. My DC is in primary now (early years) but I still have the strap on the scooter so that I can pull them up big hills at the end of the day when they are tired.
Try something like this;
www.scootnpull.co.uk/shop/pull