With older kids, back to school trends hit a little bit differently than they used to! We are down to a junior in high school and a college student. I was just about to say that our supply list is much smaller than it used to be, but that would be a false statement. This year our daughter is moving into a dorm, so we need quite a few things for her! Get a dorm room checklist, links, and details about saving on insurance HERE.
So what is trending this year…
Thrifting
Music to my ears!! My oldest got into thrifting when he was in college, probably 3 years ago. Shortly after that my daughter started working at The Loft, a clothing consignment shop, and that got her started on loving shopping secondhand. Now my youngest has been influenced by his older siblings and has friends who enjoy thrifting, so he has caught the bug.
When your kids are young, it’s great to shop secondhand because they grow out of things so quickly or ruin them playing. As they get older, they want more control over their clothing choices, and thrifting is the perfect opportunity to try new things out on a budget!
The Basics
Even with one to one technology provided in most school districts, you’ll always need pens, pencils, and notebooks. My kids prefer college ruled notebooks, plastic folders, mechanical pencils, and gel pens. We are trying THIS style of folder for college this year. My daughter, more so than the boys, always had a pencil bag. Something like THIS.
If your school doesn’t have one to one technology, we love MacBooks, see options HERE. I have a larger screen while my kids prefer the smaller screen.
Speaking of technology, Apple watches and Gizmo watches are really popular. So are THESE!
Lunchboxes
We have gone through so many lunch boxes over the years. I want ones that are easy to clean and will easily hold food containers. When my daughter got diagnosed with Celiacs, we started switching everything to glass. Some divided glass containers don’t keep items in their compartments. Many lunchboxes aren’t wide enough to set a storage container flat, so the food containers we use are also important. Find those HERE.
I’ve also found that a lot of them do not actually close up/zip up entirely, which means things don’t stay cold enough. HERE is one and HERE is another I like.
Water Bottles
I know everyone says Stanley is out and Owala is in, but my kids still like their Stanley’s. And I added a couple more tumblers like THIS to our collection while thrifting recently!
Extras
Whether it’s stickers for your water bottle or a charm for your bag. Personalization is popular. Minecraft, Labubu, Jellycat, all offer little keychains and bag charms. My kids are always wanting chapstick and gum. My nephews are definitely into soccer every year, but soccer items like THIS are supposed to be really popular with FIFA World Cup coming up.
Tax Free Weekend
Save yourself a little more money shopping your state’s Sales Tax Holiday! See the dates HERE.
Successful School Year
I hope these ideas help you pick out some new things for this school year! In closing, here’s a funny meme I saw on Instagram recently!
