Best Back to School Supplies

It is back to school season! Growing up, I used to love shopping for new school supplies and seeing all the cool new gadgets. To make things easier for you, I have compiled a list of the best back to school supplies suitable for both elementary and middle school.

Explore More: Headed to college instead? Check out my post on back to school items for college students.

The one thing I hate about school supplies is how quickly the costs can add up. However, if you invest in some quality supplies, then they should be able to last you a few years.

Don’t forget to help your teachers out too! They supply most of their classroom items themselves, so help them out by getting some necessities below.

Best Back to School Supplies

Backpack

Invest in a good backpack and it should last for a number of years. Look for a backpack that has multiple pockets and can grow with your child as they get older and need to carry more things.

Lunchbox

Unless your child plans to buy their lunch every day, get a quality lunchbox for them. I personally love a bento style lunchbox, which helps make sure that my kiddo gets a balanced meal every day.

Explore More: Check out my guide to quick easy school lunches to make your mornings a breeze.

Slim icepacks

Bentgo lunchboxes, like the one above, have a built in icepack. If you don’t have one of these styles, then I like to use these extra slim icepacks that freeze fast and don’t take up a lot of space.

Water bottle

Make it easy for your kid to stay hydrated throughout the day by getting a water bottle. I love the flip top ones that don’t have a straw. They are easy to clean and spill-proof.

Tennis shoes

Kids’ feet seem to grow at astronomical rates and I am always buying new shoes. Start the year off right with a new pair of tennis shoes for school. You will get your money’s worth in no time.

Locker kit

For those middle schoolers who might be using a locker, get a locker kit to help decorate and keep all your school supplies easily accessible. Locker shelves are great for making more space for all your binders and textbooks.

Back to school sign / shirt

This one is more for the parents! Many people like to take first day of school pictures holding up a sign to celebrate.

For my son, we bought an extra large Class of 2032 shirt when he started kindergarten and we take a picture of him in it each year. It has been fun to see how he is slowly growing into it.

Necessities

Binders

In elementary school, you might only need one small binder. As your kids get older though, consider getting one large binder for multiple subjects or a one smaller binder per subject.

Dividers

Dividers are great if you have a binder for multiple subjects. They can also be great to organize your binder for homework, tests, notes, etc.

Notebooks

I love a classic composition notebook for taking notes. My kids do most of their classwork in a notebook for both math and writing. Get a multipack of different colors or patterns to help distinguish between classes.

Pocket folders

My son can be super messy at school, so we like to use pocket folders to help send communication to and from school. Quality plastic folders hold up being shoved in backpacks and help make sure homework doesn’t end up torn and ripped.

Pencil case or binder pocket

Your child will need somewhere to keep all of his or her writing utensils for school. For my kids, I personally like the pencil pouches that go in binders as it keeps everything in one place. They can, however, make your binder bulky, so others might prefer a traditional pencil case.

Loose-leaf paper

Fill up your child’s binder with some loose-leaf paper. Different ages will need different types of paper so double check what kind you are getting.

Younger kids benefit from larger lines with the dotted center line to help work on their letters. Older children might prefer wide-ruled or college-ruled paper depending on their handwriting.

Graph paper

Graph paper is really beneficial to older kids who are working on math. It helps keep their numbers lined up so they don’t make silly mistakes.

My son also uses graph paper to work on his handwriting. One letter goes in each box, which helps teach proper spacing.

Writing Utensils

Pencils

Despite us being in a technological age, pencils are still probably the number one thing any child needs for school. The best kind are hands down the Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils as they are most reliable.

Your child might also like a mechanical pencil. If they are anything like my kids though, they will pull the lead out as far as it will go and then accidentally break it into a million pieces. Avoid finding a bunch of little lead pieces by just getting the old school yelllow pencil.

Pens

In the battle of the best pen, a Bic ball point pen will win every time for me. I love to buy these in bulk as they always seem to disappear when I need one.

Highlighters

I love highlighters to help kids slow down their reading and highlight the important parts of a reading passage. They can also be great for color coding your notes and make topics easy to find.

Twistable crayons

I absolutely loved learning about this cool invention when my son started kindergarten. No more need for peeling back the paper and attempting to sharpen crayons. They last a while and are practically mess-free.

Twistable colored pencils

Just like the crayons, Crayola also makes some awesome twistable colored pencils. Teachers probably like these even more than students as it helps eliminate the long line at the pencil sharpener.

Helpful Tools

Glue sticks

Elementary school students will need glue sticks. I prefer glue sticks because they are far less messy than the typical glue in a bottle.

Scissors

Blunt tip scissors are great for young kids to help them develop fine motor skills. They make some scissors with covers on them as well to help kids prevent accidentally cutting themselves.

Pencil sharpener

Teachers don’t love when kids constantly have to get up to sharpen their pencils. Make things easier for them and your child by getting a small sharpener they can keep at their desk.

Ruler

Kids will use a ruler for many different things in school from measuring in math class to drawing straight lines in art class. I like these small 6-inch ones that can fit inside of a pencil case or pouch.

Big pink eraser

Let’s face it – kids make a lot of mistakes as they are learning. Be sure to get them a big pink eraser for those.

Wite-out

For those other more permanent mistakes, get some wite-out. I personally think the traditional liquid wite-out works best, but it can be easier for kids to use the tape kind as it works faster.

Homework planner

For kids in middle school, day planners are extremely helpful when planning out all their homework. The workload will significantly increase, which will truly test their time management skills.

Set your middle schooler up for success by getting a homework planner.

Tablet (optional)

Following COVID, more schools have started to provide devices to their students for online work. If your school does not provide one, consider getting a Fire Tablet or Chromebook for completing homework.

Best Back to School Supplies for Teachers

Multi-purpose wipes

Classrooms are filled with germs. Help teachers out by sending your child to school with Clorox wipes. This, in turn, will help your child from getting sick.

Hand sanitizer

Keep your child healthy by supplying teachers with hand sanitizer. Educate your child as well about washing their hands regularly while at school.

Tissues

Cold season is no joke when it hits in schools. Allergies also take a toll on students in the spring. Prepare them by sending in a lot of tissues. You can never have too many.

Stickers

Kids love getting stickers on their tests and homework. Reward stickers are cheap and can help your teachers out.

Organizational bins

Teachers often end up paying for a lot of their own classroom supplies. If you want to show some love to your teachers, buy them some organizational bins for books and other items.

Construction paper

Kids are always working on arts and crafts projects in school. Teachers would love any craft supplies or construction paper for projects.

Dry erase markers

Dry erase markers dry out easily. It is good for teachers to have some spares on hand when they do. Get some colorful ones so the students can enjoy writing on the board too.