It’s summer right now and all your kids are having a blast at camp, or just hanging around with friends. Well it’s time to get back to school shortly, and as we all know the school year can creep up pretty quickly. Whether your child is entering elementary school, Middle School, Junior High School, or High School, you are going to want to get a jump on purchasing your back to school supplies. With inflation the way it stands, retailers will be looking at higher prices passed on to the consumer as we get closer to the school year. Therefore, it is imperative that you have your shopping list ready to go. Hopefully, we can assist in that regard.
When school shopping, make a thorough school supply list that will cover all of your back to school essentials regardless of what grade your child will be entering. Although when mentioning certain items we will state if that particular item leans more towards elementary school versus high school.
Back to School Essentials
Let’s begin with some back to school essentials that are a must on your shopping list so your child is ready first the first day of school:
- Backpack: Let’s face it, this is probably the first item that your child will need. In todays day and age, there are so many options when it comes to purchasing a backpack. What does your child need, a backpack geared towards a laptop or chromebook? After all, we know that schools have moved steadily in the direction of having their students use chromebooks or iPads handed out by the school to enhance the students learning experience, and growth in technology. Gear your backpack purchase towards the needs of your child and what their curriculum will be. Also as a side note, a nice fancy best seller backpack, will have your child’s popularity meter at a high level!!
- Lunch Boxes or Lunch Bags: Another important item for the new school year. Check out different themed lunch boxes that your child would be interested in. Maybe a superhero lunchbox? Especially if your child is in elementary school. Having a good lunch box filled with nutritious food coupled with a reusable water bottle is crucial, because let’s face it, between the general school day filled with classes and athletics, you want to ensure that your child is properly prepared for the school season.
- Hand Sanitizer: This is a big one. With the pandemic unfortunately, still plaguing us, having hand sanitizer around allows your child to get rid of the plethora of germs that ravage a school. Most schools nowadays, even require this in their supply list needed for your child.
- Obviously when preparing your child’s back to school supply list there are some basics which again many schools will inform you of prior to the start of the new school year.
- Have a good sturdy spiral notebook. Even with the advancements in technology and as schools move more and more towards utilizing those items, taking handwritten notes will still be paramount to the advancement of your child’s learning abilities.
- Additionally a ring binder with loose leaf paper and/or construction paper to refill the binder or use separately would come in handy.
- Index Cards or as commonly referred to in the school system as “Flash Cards”. These will be needed for your child, especially when studying with a partner and cramming for those tests and finals. Your child’s study partner can test your child using index cards with questions and answers. Post It notes are also a great way to take notes and place them in places such as a textbook without having to write on the actual textbook itself.
- A pencil pouch, pencil box or any sort of pencil case will be needed. If your child is in elementary school, having a good pencil case that can even hold Crayola Crayons or highlighters, will ensure that your child is properly prepared in this regard. Make sure to include a pencil sharpener with the pencil case. Have some separate erasers handy as at times a number 2 pencil may be required and those erasers just seem to run out quickly and don’t get the job done at times.
- Good high quality ballpoint pens. After all, this will be the basic go-to for your child to take notes with. You want your child to have an easy experience and growth in their english handwriting. Therefore, when taking notes and worrying if your pen doesn’t work properly, or you run out of ink and you don’t have a back up pen will not be an issue. Grab a sharpie or two as those will most likely be utilized at some point during the school year. Throw in some glue sticks for good measure. Most teachers, especially at the younger grade level will want their students to have glue sticks when making projects with carboard boxes or the like, so they can glue their theme into the project holder.
Dorm Room Life
We’ve all been there. Residing in a dorm during the school year can be a great experience for your child. Prepare them properly for it, as the change from living at home to a dorm room is quite the jump. No dinners from mom, no comfortable bed like at home. However, as you know, your child can take the positives from living in a dorm room such as enhancing social skills, building relationships and learning how to share a room with another person outside of their family environment. If your child attended sleep away summer camp they may have a leg up, as they have experienced a form of dorm room life if they stayed in a bunk or cabin.
So, besides for the items we previously discussed what does your child need to help ensure a comfortable living environment in a dorm room. Of course, your child will need to have washable items such as bedspread, comforter or blanket etc. In addition to that, since your child is in a dorm room a great high quality laptop or chromebook to bring back and forth from classes to their dorm room will assist in getting a good learning experience, and will hopefully help them keep their grades up.
Final Thoughts
We believe the back to school essential items listed above are inherent to having your child get the most out of the new school year. We all know this is going to be a tough time at first, as coming off the summer fun and getting back to school usually will be chore for your child to become motivated for the new school year. Maybe, you want to include them when compiling your shopping list or take them along on your shopping trip (especially for youngsters), as this can be a fun and enjoyable time at the retailer, or perusing for items online. Speaking from personal experience, including your child in these activities is a great way to bond with them.
The new school year doesn’t have to be a daunting experience. Utilize the shopping list of back to school essentials that we have compiled and some of the thoughts and tips that we mentioned, and hopefully getting back to school will be a breeze for you.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!!
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