Get Your Gear So Your Kids Won’t Forget Their Stuff

Karen Asmundson’s lack of hockey knowledge provided the spark for a product line that Clever Parents thinks will help a lot of parents and their sports-playing kids. Get Your Gear cards provide picture checklists for all the items needed for a particular sport so kids can see what they need (glove, bat, hat, water bottle, cleats) to bring. Explains Karen, “ My kids are in all kinds of sports (hockey, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, football) and I found myself constantly reminding them to get their cleats, skates, glove, etc. ready for practice… I knew other parents struggled with the same thing and wanted to create a product to help kids be more self-sufficient and parents less stressed. When my kids started playing hockey, I wished I had had a list of stuff they needed. I didn’t grow up with hockey and had no idea what was under those jerseys.”

Karen found a fellow multi-sport mom and graphic artist, Susanne Short, to design the pictures on the cards. Originally she was going to use stickers, but the she couldn’t find stickers in a uniform style or size, and, “more importantly, nobody had a sticker of an athletic supporter,” says Karen. Having the artwork done specifically for Get Your Gear guaranteed that that everything is “original, appropriate, and consistent (and cute!).” Parents can customize the cards by placing a white sticker over any item that isn’t used so as to reduce graphical clutter. The backs of the cards have space for child specific info such as practice schedules, etc.

There are Get Your Gear cards for baseball, football, hockey and lacrosse and Karen has also branched out to create Get Your Gear cards for school (‘School-Ager’) and babies (‘Baby & Toddler’). The School Ager card is actually the biggest seller amongst individuals and she’s received bulk orders from sports associations who used the cards as gifts for players. Cards to support additional activities such as dance and gymnastics are under consideration. She’s even had a request for a Get Your Gear Knitting card…

(Clever Parents has made an appeal for a card for Business Travelers that has pictures of a cell phone, PDA, laptop, etc. )

In the end, Karen is happy to have a product that helps her and other parents, “to create practical solutions for everyday living, help maintain happy families, and reduce stress. I’m pleased to have created a product that has done that (according to my customers).”

Get your own Get Your Gear cards online.