Back-to-School Essentials: What Do Kids Actually Need?

When I was a kid, we were not allowed to discuss back-to-school until at least the last week of August.

There were seven of us at home, and it made my mom sad to think about us all going back to school and summer ending.

She truly enjoyed having us all home for the summer.

I wish I was that kind of mom, but personally?

I LOVE when school starts again. Haha.

Not because I don’t love my kids or enjoy having them around. I really do.

But I thrive on routines and schedules, and having the kids in school brings a kind of structure that summer vacation just… doesn’t.

So, with that in mind, and school creeping closer every day (some kids are back already!), here is what I believe is actually necessary for those first few weeks of school.

Because there are a million back-to-school lists out there filled with fancy gadgets, matching accessories and adorable things your kid will probably forget in their desk by October.

And those things can be fun!

But for parents on a budget, sometimes it’s nice to know what you actually need.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through one of my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I genuinely use, love, or think are worth sharing. 💛

#1. A Good Backpack

If you’re going to splurge on one item for your kids, make it a quality backpack.

I have made the mistake over the years of going budget-friendly on this item a number of times, and I’ve almost always regretted it.

Those cute Elsa backpacks with the matching pencil cases are adorable.

They’re also basically cheap trash that wears out three months into the school year and requires replacing right around Christmas, when I would much rather spend that money on actual Christmas gifts.

So spend a little more if you can and get a quality backpack with well-sewn straps that will survive the whole year.

Then your children can lug their rock collection and 300 other totally unnecessary items back and forth to school to their hearts’ content.

See my favourite here → https://amzn.to/4wXhNuZ

#2. A Lunchbox With Lots of Compartments

I am a prolific lunch packer.

I actually love it.

Preparing little snacks and entrées for the kids every morning is a big part of my routine.

Even when I’m not on maternity leave and I’m working my regular job as a nurse, I’ll come home from a night shift and spend time making the kids’ lunches before I go to sleep.

It’s just one of the ways I show love.

And if you’re packing lunches every day, you definitely need a good lunchbox. Preferably one that doesn’t leak and can survive being tossed around by a child who absolutely does not care what you paid for it.

These can be expensive, but they’ll also save you from having to buy as many individually packaged snacks that produce a metric ton of garbage.

And if you get a good one, it can last for multiple school years.

I’ve tried many different kinds over the years. My partner will tell you I have a lunchbox addiction. Haha.

But these ones are my favourite and, in my opinion, well worth the initial investment.

See my favourite here → https://amzn.to/4cF3JOy

#3. A Lunch Bag

And with a good lunchbox, you need a lunch bag.

Obviously, the idea is that the actual lunch will be INSIDE the lunchbox.

But inevitably there will be something that doesn’t fit. Maybe you want to send a thermos one day, utensils, an extra snack or occasionally a little treat.

Cue the lunch bag.

It keeps everything food-related together and cool with an ice pack. I recommend these perfectly sized ones, but you can absolutely grab small ice packs from the dollar store too.

More importantly, it prevents random snacks from falling to the bottom of the aforementioned backpack, underneath 14 rocks, a crumpled permission form and a single mitten, never to be seen again.

#4. Good Shoes, Both Indoors and Out

Shoes don’t necessarily have to be new.

I’ve found great used shoes at thrift stores that were high-quality and still in fantastic shape.

Because here’s the thing about kids:

They GROW.

Constantly.

So if you buy quality shoes for your kids, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll outgrow them before they actually wear them out.

But this is another item where I’ve found going super cheap initially can backfire. They wear out halfway through the year and you end up buying another pair anyway.

So whether you buy new or source them from your local thrift shop, good shoes are a must.

#5. A Good Water Bottle

This is another one where quality matters, although, to be completely honest?

Your child is likely to lose approximately five of these before the end of the school year, so maybe balance quality with how much it’s going to hurt when they leave it on the playground. Haha.

But a good, solid water bottle with a screw-on lid is a must.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve let my children talk me into some super-fun clear plastic cup with a straw or a bottle with a fancy flip-top lid.

It inevitably gets knocked onto the floor at school and smashes into a million pieces, or leaks everywhere one day and soaks their entire lunch.

So now I vote for a plain stainless-steel bottle with a screw-on lid that they can lug back and forth every day.

Sometimes, okay often, fancy doesn’t beat function.

#6. Supplies From “The List”

At the beginning of every school year, most teachers will send home a list of supplies your kids need.

Younger kids, especially Grade 3 and under, often don’t need to bring things like pencils, notebooks or markers because those supplies are provided in the classroom. They’re nice to have at home, but you may not actually need to send them to school.

Older kids, however, will need paper and binders and all the things.

Before you go out and spend $100 trying to predict exactly what they’ll need, let me make a suggestion:

Wait until after the first day of school.

Your child’s teacher will send them home with approximately 17 pieces of paper on the first day, one of which will probably be a supply list.

Wait for that.

Then you’ll actually know whether they need three binders or four, lined paper or graph paper, and exactly how many glue sticks you’re apparently expected to provide to get one small human through ten months of education.

You’ll save yourself money AND the grief of trying to guess.

And when you’re shopping for these supplies, if it’s within your budget, consider grabbing one or two extras to donate to your child’s classroom.

Schools can be incredibly underfunded, and not every family is in a position to provide everything on the list. Even a few extra pencils, glue sticks or boxes of tissues can be genuinely useful and very appreciated by your child’s teacher.

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And… that’s really it.

The bare-bones, what-do-they-actually-need-to-go-to-school list.

Obviously, there are a million other things you can buy.

The cute labels. The fancy pencil case. The matching containers. The trendy shoes. The backpack charms. The 74-pack of pastel highlighters your third grader will apparently require for reasons no one can explain.

And if those things are in your budget and they make you and your child happy, buy them! Back-to-school shopping can be fun.

But with three school-aged kids and a maternity-leave budget, I’m prioritizing the things that are actually going to get used every single day.

A backpack that survives the rock collection.

A lunchbox that doesn’t leak.

Shoes that make it past Thanksgiving.

A water bottle that hopefully comes home again.

And the supplies their teachers actually ask for.

Everything else?

We can figure it out as we go.

Because the kids don’t need a Pinterest-perfect collection of brand-new school supplies to have a great first day.

They need the basics, a lunch packed with love, and a parent who remembered to sign at least 16 of the 17 forms that came home in their backpack.

And me?

I’ll be at home drinking my coffee in the beautiful, glorious silence of a school-day morning.

Sorry, Mom. I guess we are different people.

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Before You Go…

So, tell me: what’s the one back-to-school item you absolutely swear by? Or better yet, what’s something you bought because you were sure your kid needed it… only to discover it untouched at the bottom of their backpack three months later? 😂

Leave me a comment below! I always love hearing what works for other families, especially when it comes to making the school-year chaos a little easier.

🎒 Grab My FREE School Information Sheet

If you’re also someone who functions significantly better when all the important information is written down in ONE PLACE, I’ve got you.

Join my email list below and I’ll send you my School Information Sheet completely FREE!

It’s a handy printable for keeping all those important school details together, so you’re not frantically searching through emails when you suddenly need a teacher’s name, school phone number or other important information.

And if you love the free sheet, it’s actually part of my complete Back-to-School Parent Dashboard, which includes even more printable pages to help keep the school year organized. You can find the full printable package in my Etsy shop here!

🛒 Looking for My Back-to-School Recommendations?

I’ve gathered my favourite finds, including the kinds of backpacks, lunch gear, water bottles and other practical products I actually recommend, over on my Amazon Storefront.

You can shop my Amazon recommendations here, along with more of my favorite finds for kids, babies, home and everyday mom life.

☕ Stick Around!

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There’s plenty more to read around here, from real-life motherhood and family life to books, practical tips, printables and whatever else is currently happening in our slightly chaotic household.

Welcome to Mom’s Summer Camp (Where Chaos Is the Curriculum)

6 Tips for a Solo Road Trip with Kids (and a Baby!)

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