Whether your child is starting at secondary school, heading off to primary school for the first time, or simply moving up a year, you’ll need to go back to school shopping to stock up on a few essentials to give them the best start to their school year. Here are a few tips on the kinds of things you’ll need to bear in mind when buying the school essentials, alongside rough price points.
When going back to school shopping you may not think it’s important but a good water bottle will get your child through the day. Plenty of schools require their pupils to arrive with a full water bottle, especially for school trips and during the hotter months of the year, so it’s worth investing in a good one. However, there are lots of bottles that aren’t really made for school; some are designed to be sipped in the car, while others are made for dissolving sports supplements. Make sure you get one with a good solid lid that won’t pop off easily and ruin school books, and also opt for bottles that are free from PBA plastics – some research indicates these plastics are bad for children’s health. A double-walled, stainless steel bottle might be a little more expensive than a standard bottle, but it will likely last longer than a plastic bottle, and it can also keep drinks cold for around 24 hours.
The backpack is an essential back to school shopping item, so it’s worth taking the time to find a bag that suits your child. Some of the things to consider when looking for a new backpack:
For those heading to secondary, the school shopping list will include a 15cm ruler, as well as a compass, and a protractor – that’s that semicircle of plastic you may remember from your school days. You can pick these up fairly cheaply from some of the bigger supermarkets, but it might be wise to spend just a little bit more to get a complete maths set which also includes the usual pencil case staples such as a pencil, pencil sharpener and rubber. As an added bonus, these sets often come in a tougher case which will help it to survive being bumped about in a school bag for ten months of the year.
Back to school shopping is incomplete if you don’t get the right pencil case, whether it be pink or blue. We think that it might be worth going for one of the bigger models, as pupils have to get quite a lot into these things. Primary school children may well have to fit a whole set of coloured pencils into their case, while children stocking up on secondary school supplies may have to have a good set of highlighters, as well as the maths set stuffed into this case. Get one with a tough zip as kids often rush and force these closed at the end of a lesson. Also avoid a light coloured case if you can, as when pens leak (especially when kids leave the lids off), that white case will soon be a murky bluey-gray by the end of the term.
That wraps up our article on the 4 essential back to school shopping list items. For more back to school ideas check out our back to school hub featuring articles on perfecting the shift back to school where we discuss what you can do to get ready for the new school year, we cover joining groups, wardrobes and tips on pocket money . Is your child heading off to secondary school? Read our article on giving your child independence tackling new found freedom with guidance on how to handle emergencies, tracking and walking in groups.