7 Things You Need to Prepare for Back to School

Back to School

It’s that time of year!  Kids are going back to school soon.  Or, depending on where you live, they are going to start school in something that resembles learning from days of old.  My kids are going back to school full time in September.  But there are kids in other areas that are going back to school part-time, alternating days/weeks, and even fully remote learning.  But regardless of how they are going to school, so I have prepared this list of 7 Things You Need to Prepare for Back to School.

Preparing your school supplies

This is going to be tricky.  No one  knows what the future holds, or how the school year will pan out.  Is it worth buying a whole years’ supplies of school items?  Do we need to buy all their new clothes now? Should we…. I don’t know.

I have always been a bit of a minimalist when it comes to school supplies, and there has always been an opportunity to buy more stuff during the year if supplies ran out.  But will that be the case this year? 

What do our kids need for school this year?

As everyone’s needs will be different this year, I have tried to make a basic list of things you will need for your kids.

7 Things You Need to Prepare for Back to School

This is the list of things I think are required for my kids this year for school.  I’ve also noted where I’m reusing items from last year.

1. Backpack -We’re going to use the same one as last year as that one didn’t get a full year’s wear.
2. Lunch box/bag – Again, the same one as last year.
3. Face Masks – I have 2 per day per child.  This may seem high, but after wearing a mask for a few hours they will become wet and smelly.
4. Pencil case and contents – Again, same as last year and for little kids, JK/Sk they don’t need that at all. I also have enough surplus of all of this lying around the house that I don’t need more.
5. Notebooks/paper – my kids are young enough that they don’t need this, but older kids will need this.  
6. Clothes – I’ve gone through last year’s clothes to see what can be re-worn.  My kids had a bit of a growth spurt over the summer (too much sun?) and some of their pants are short so I’ll need some extra there, but shirts and sweaters seem to be ok for now.  I typically buy second hand off of mom-to-mom-selling pages, so I can always pick up what I need any time of year for cheap.
7. Coats/winter gear – we get lots of snow in the winter so we need proper winter gear.  School or no school, my kids will be playing in the snow. So this is a must and last year’s stuff is just too small, so new winter gear it is.

Final Thoughts

I’m not here to get into a debate about if it’s right or wrong to send our kids to school.  I’m just trying to be a parent who is ready for all possible outcomes for the school year.  One thing that I have learned about having kids is they like routines and stability (don’t we all?).  But preparing them in advance for something makes life easier for them and me.

So, I’m going to prepare my kids for school.  They’ll help me get stuff ready for them, although they might not come shopping with me like in years past.

They’re looking forward to seeing their friends and their teachers and doing all the fun stuff kids do at school.  And I’m looking forward to a small bit of normal, even if it is only for a while.

Kids are Packed and Ready To Go?

If you’re a super planner and have your kids stuff all ready to go, make sure you check out how to make a stellar meal plan to keep your stress level down! Check it out here.

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