Shopping for School Supplies

Shopping for school supplies and clothing can be a fun and exciting experience for you and your kids if you are prepared and know what you need ahead of time. Here are a few tips:

1. School supplies: Get a copy of your school’s list of recommended supplies before you hit the stores. Make note of any special requirements and any items that are not allowed. Do you need pens or pencils? How many crayons? Wide-ruled or college-ruled notebooks? Knowing these details will help you save time and money.

2. Backpacks – First, make sure they are allowed at your school. Then talk with your child beforehand about the style and color that he or she would like. If you need to set limits, do so before you get to the store.

3. Organizing Supplies – Purchase items that will help your kids stay organized throughout the school year and prevent lost supplies and homework! Consider pencil boxes or zippered bags for small items like pens, pencils, erasers, and crayons. Help your students organize by suggesting coloring coding for different subjects, and buy colored tabs for a binder to separate notes and papers. Buy a specific notebook or planner for homework assignments and special reminders.

4. Lockers – Purchase magnetic bins, white boards, and special locker shelves to help your students keep their lockers neat and organized. If they have to pile books on top of each other, it’s harder to find what they need quickly as they hurry to their next class. Bins and trays can hold extra supplies.

Although you can’t follow your kids around to make sure they’re putting things in the right place, you can help them develop a system to organize their schoolwork. It all starts with buying the supplies that will help them put their own organizing scheme to work for them. Make shopping a positive experience by explaining expectations beforehand, and you’ll have your kids ready to hit the books in no time!