Best School Supplies for Kids

I bought my son a Nike backpack two years ago and it is still going strong. It has a front pocket which is great for little items and side pockets for a water bottle. He loves it!

Our Pottery Barn bags were great, and seem to be a popular choice at our elementary school. We never had a chance to wear them out, but they definitely were in good shape after 2-3 years (when grandma wanted to get new ones!). Fun designs and personalization available, too. I wouldn't recommend getting the smallest size (as we did in Kindergarten), as kids outgrow them quickly and they really will last a long time.

I bought my son a Land's End backpack (on clearance!) when he started first grade. This kid is not gentle with his things at all, but his Land End backpack made it through 8th grade before retiring. It was still in pretty great shape to tell you the truth, but we upgraded to a larger backpack for all his high school books.

I agree with Pottery Barn. That's where we bought ours. We have also had good luck with Justice.

We do BTS shopping at Target. I buy the Gift Cards when they are on sale for 20% off and save my 5% birthday coupon for it!

For basic school supply items that you end up needing to repurchase every year, buy in bulk and keep the extra on hand to draw from in the future. Costco often has great deals on post-its, pens, notebooks, etc during back to school time.

My husband and I will usually take the day off work (when we can) so we can be there for drop off and pick up on the first day, which makes it feel extra special for all of us.

First day of school photos on our front steps, and couple more in front of the school too.

Pizza for dinner! (Kids choice actually, it’s just almost always pizza!)

We have taken first day of school and last day of school pics on the front step with each kid holding their own sign. It's the same every year. My high schooler isn't too thrilled with the idea of doing it this year but will have to suffer through it. I plan to make them each a printed photo book of each year's pics when they graduate high school as a keepsake.

The kids are responsible for getting their backpacks ready before going to bed, and making sure they have all their homework, books, permission slips, etc in there, and that it is zipped up and ready to just grab and go in the morning. We sometimes need to remind them to do this, but as it becomes part of the nighttime routine it gets easier and easier!

My boys pick out their clothes the night before, and always check what the weather will be like to plan for it, as well as if they have gym or not. It makes getting dressed in the morning much easier!

Prepare lunches the night before. I have a fruit bowl and baskets with healthy snacks, so the kids can help prepare their lunches, too. If they help with preparation, they're more likely to eat it, too.

My kids also charge up their chromebooks after school/after homework so they are packed up fully charged for the next day.

Z Bars

Clementines. Our school requires that snacks be fruits or veggies "in their own skin" (so, no applesauce), and while we often rotate through different fruits depending on what the kids are into at the time, clementines are my favorite because they are easy to grab and go with no effort (plus, sweet and tasty!). Though most are easy enough for kids to peel, when the kids were younger I sometimes pulled up an end of the peel for them to make it even easier.

Regular string cheese or Babybel® brand cheese transports well inside the backpack. Maybe include some wheat crackers, too?

Carrots and hummus