When did your babies get so big? Instead of juice boxes, now they’re asking for bottled water and sports drinks. Instead of a new lunchbox, your middle-schooler wants brown paper bags like his friends carry. You still know what’s best for them, but your main concern is making sure they stay healthy and safe without letting on the fact that you still take care of them.
Middle and Junior High School Checklist
Making sure you know what the kids need to bring on the first day of school can relieve the pressure when it comes to shopping. You won’t have to worry about one of the kids trying to slip something by you that's not on the list, such as a locker mirror. Of course, with the great school savings you know you’ll find, maybe you can get your child that locker mirror in exchange for some extra chores around the house!
The Basics
- Backpack or book bag
- Notebook paper
- 5- or 3-subject wide-rule spiral notebook
- Binder
- 5-tab index dividers
- Pocket-only folders
- Pencil bag
- Black & red pens (medium point)
- No. 2 pencils
- Colored pencils
- Markers
- Yellow highlighters
- Pink erasers
- Ruler
- Pencil sharpener
- 3 x 5 ruled index cards
- Sticky notes
- Facial tissue (individual packs)
- Sheet of labels with student's name
Gym Supplies
- Gym uniform (usually ordered through the school)
- Gym shoes to be kept at school
- Gym socks
- Sweatshirt in school colors for cold days
- Combination lock
- Soap
- Shampoo
- Deodorant
- Comb or hairbrush
- Hair styling products
- Portable, compact hair dryer (optional — check school rules before buying)
Other Supplies
Depending on the classes your child is in, as well as school funding, you may find your child needs a flash drive or graphing calculator. While these are sometimes sold by the school at a discount, make sure to check your local Wal-Mart store because in many cases our prices are lower than school prices.
School Clothes
When you shop for school clothes, make sure you know the requirements of your child’s school. Some standard requirements for girls are skirts that go past the fingertips (or sometimes no higher than 3” above the knee) and in some schools certain color combinations that aren’t allowed. Generally, any clothing with drug or alcohol references are banned and will get your child sent home.
Your kids want to be independent. Make it easy on yourself by letting them take the cart and take control of some of the school-shopping choices. When you shop where prices are always low, you can take the time to enjoy shopping with your children and watch them make decisions on their own instead of spending the whole trip worrying about how much it’s going to cost.
