It comes sooner every year. For me, it was yesterday—the school supplies display at the local store made its appearance in early July this year.
Many schools publish their request lists early. And though you probably don’t need more than a month to plan your annual shopping adventure, you might be itching to get it out of the way. But what’s really necessary and what can be skimped on?
The old supplies are still valuable
You might think that in the 21st century, with the amount schools are spending on tablets and laptops, that the old standbys like paper, pencils, and notebooks might be obsolete. That’s actually not the case in the vast majority of classrooms.
Believe it or not, many of the latest learning strategies work with graphic organizers to help kids organize their thinking. These require paper. In certain rooms, even more paper is being used these days than before. Stock up, but keep in mind that paper is paper and pencils will be lost. Feel free to go to the dollar store.
If you find a deal on chargers, take it
That being said, more students are bringing their own devices to school or are able to bring school-owned devices home. It won’t surprise you to find out that kids aren’t the most organized people in the world. All this tech travel will mean accessories get lost in the shuffle.
I would suggest that this process requires three chargers: one at school (perhaps provided by the school in the form of a charging cart or other arrangement), one at home, and one for the book bag. If one of these is no longer available, they need to be replaced. Stock up if you see a sale somewhere. And don’t forget other accessories like cases, styluses, and screen protectors.
Buy the best planner possible (and use it)
Many schools, realizing how important it is for students to hone their study and organization skills, print and distribute their own planners for students to track their assignments. If your school isn’t one of them, this might be the most important purchase you make this year.
Find one that makes the process as easy as possible for your child and then commit to using it. Notice I didn’t say commit them to using it. Staying on top of assignments should be just as much a priority for you as for them. Check the planner nightly and communicate with the teacher that you’ll be doing so and you’d like them to sign off on what your student has written down. Then there are no miscommunications and everyone can focus on getting the work done.