1. Art Smock – A must-have for the many art projects that your little one will come home with this year. Take an old apron or T-shirt and let your kid create his or her own design on the smock, because it’s bound to get paint on it anyway! Plus, you get bonus points for being a fun, crafty parent.
2. Superhero Lunchbox – The best way to get them to eat those carrots is to put them inside a lunchbox with their favorite superhero on it. Popular this year is Captain America, Transformers, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
3. Pencil/Crayon Case – Get your children a case to store pencils and crayons. Because we all know that one kid who asks to borrow a pencil. Every. Single. Day. Plus, the kids won’t lose them as often.
4. Hand Sanitizer –Preserve your kids’ perfect attendance award and pack hand sanitizer in their backpacks. No sick days to be had here.
5. Several Glue Sticks – Glue sticks aren’t just reserved for art class anymore. Between in-class activities and out-of-class projects, glue sticks are used up quickly, so stock up now before you find yourself turning the house upside down looking for a new one.
It also might be a good idea to decide on a homework time and a bedtime before school starts, that way you have a game plan ready to tackle the new school year. You can even slowly enforce the new bedtime a week before school starts, so that the new curfew doesn’t take your little ones by surprise.
