As we finish out the summer and get ready to head back to school there are alot of things that will look differently for the school year. Many kids are heading back to school virtually, families are choosing homeschool, and some are going back to a modified in-person schedule. Regardless of the option you are choosing for your family, there will likely be a few consistencies between them all. I’m excited to share with you five things that you need for back to school for kids during this pandemic.
I am going to cover a few of the things we are using for back to school with our toddlers as we adventure into a preschool and homeschool learning hybrid. This list is not perfect and it will definitely vary depending on what YOUR schooling looks like this year but hopefully it gives you an idea of some options out there.
If there are things you feel like we missed on this list, please share them in the comments! I would love to hear what things you are using for your kids especially if they are on the younger side, to provide a safe, healthy, and exciting school year!
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
5 Products You Need For Going Back To School With Kids
FACE MASKS FOR KIDS
The first thing most people (if not all) will be required for this year are face masks. I don’t want to argue the effectiveness of these, but for our family we believe that they do provide a level of safety when around people in the community or at school. And for that reason, our kids will be wearing masks whenever they are with others.
I found a few different toddler/kid mask options that might be a good addition to your back to school list:
Have you found any great kids face masks? I’d love for you to share a link in the comments!
BLUE LIGHT BLOCKING GLASSES FOR KIDS (and adults!)
With online learning, which many families may be seeing an increase of this year, comes a LOT more screen time than most probably prefer.
For all our little ones who will be learning via a screen, I highly recommend trying blue light glasses. There are a lot of options out there, and most will work just fine. I’ll share the ones we use for the boys below.
PROSPEK Blue Light Blocking Glasses Kids
Women’s Blue Light Blocking Glasses on Amazon
TIP: When you can, turn your device on “night mode”. This will change the lighting from a blue light to a yellow light, allowing a little relief on your kids eyes.
Adults, you should use them too! They can help relieve a lot of stress on the eyes. I’ve been using them for years!
My blue blight blocking glasses are prescription from Zenni Optical but you can get non-prescription as well. I have used them for 3 years now and I LOVE them. Shop all blue light blocking glasses at Zenni Optical.
The best part about Zenni is the prices. They are SIGNIFICANTLY lower than any prescription glasses you can get from your eye doctor. I paid $30 for my prescription glasses WITH blue light blocking lenses. Plus, you can use this link to get $5 off your Zenni Optical order!
LABEL MAKER
If your child is heading back to school at any capacity, I highly recommend you label ALL their things. For our toddlers, they are asked to bring their own pencil boxes of items as the school will not allow kids to share.
Perhaps I’m a little over the top with labeling everything but I don’t want there to be any confusion about what belongs to my child. Plus, labeling is REALLY fun.
Both my toddlers got pencil boxes and supplies and we had a hay day printing out labels with their names for every. single. item. Even all the individual markers.
Part of it was just because they BEG for me to print labels but then another part of me thought, hey, not such a bad idea since they aren’t supposed to be sharing this year.
We have this Brother P-touch Label Maker and really like it. I also like to buy our label maker tape on Amazon because it’s significantly cheaper than in the store.
SANTIZER
Both at home and on the go, having sanitizer is proving to be something necessary right especially when you can’t get to a sink.
At home we have a big sanitizer container and it works fine for us there but on the go, or for the kids, we need something smaller.
On the note of sanitizer, staying clean at home especially after a day out in the world seeing others is so important! Being sure to have some natural cleaning supplies on hand that also kill those pesky germs is imperative.
During this pandemic, we started using Grove Collaborative to ensure we have the things we need. For some reason, time really was flying by and before we knew it we would be out of hand soap! Well thanks to our subscription, a refill would show up just in time.
Get a free Mrs Meyers cleaning gift set (the new fall scents are out!) when you use this link.
LUNCH BOXES
This year may look different in the area of lunchtime but let’s be real, a new lunchbox can MAKE a kids day. Not only does packing a kids’ lunch in a lunchbox help you plan for the day (especially if they are schooling from home), it always gives the child some normalcy and routine.
We have some bento-style lunch boxes that my boys love and have proved to bring some excitement to the day even while stuck at home. We don’t always pack their lunches in these because I’m honestly not that good at preparing but the days I do, the kids just love it.
There are lots of different options out there but here are a few we’ve tried or have our eyes on:
- Yumbox – We have these and LOVE them
- PlanetBox – I love these and will likely try them as the kids get older and need more food space.
- Bentgo – Very similar to Yumbox and come in adorable prints and colors!
RELATED: #1 Tip To Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy at Home
If you are new to plant-based living and are feeling lost, I am here to help you! I want to remind you that you are never on this journey of eating a more plant-based lifestyle. If you need extra support, encouragement, or have your questions answered, be sure to join my free Facebook group, Growing Families Fueled By Greens or you can always send me an email at hello@realisticplantbasedmama.com.
What are some must-haves as your kids head back to school? Are you going virtual, in-person, hybrid? I’d love to hear more in the comments!
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