Is your child starting school for the very first time? Then your stomachs are probably filled with butterflies. And it’s not just the children who can feel butterflies. The very first day of school is also a big day for most parents. Suddenly, your child is no longer a little kindergartener. Many parents have many memories from their own school days, which they are reminded of when their own child is starting school. In this blog post, we have created a checklist with everything you need to remember for the start of school.

Checklist for the start of school

• Lunch box, water bottle, and fruit bag: Maybe your child’s lunch box from kindergarten needs an upgrade? Give the old lunch box a new look. Design large adhesive stickers to put on the outside of the lunch box. You can also create an idea list with inspiration for packed lunches throughout the autumn, which you can refer to when you’ve made the first 100 sandwiches and can’t think of anything else but bread with goat cheese.

• Indoor shoes/change of clothes: In many schools, children in elementary school are required to wear slippers or indoor shoes. If your child has a pair of slippers from kindergarten, check if they still fit junior (and if there are two shoes).

• Bicycle + helmet: If your child will be riding a bike to school, it’s a good idea to check if the bike is ready to ride. The same goes for the helmet. Does it still fit or does it need to be replaced? Remember to label the helmet. We can recommend stickers, which are very durable and will stay on in all kinds of weather.

• School bag: It’s a big day when your child gets their first proper school bag. But in many places, a school bag is not necessary in the beginning because the child doesn’t need to bring books back and forth. So maybe your child’s bag from kindergarten can be used in the beginning?

• Pencil case: For most children, the pencil case is a new acquaintance when they start school. Check what your child needs to bring for their specific school. For example, pencils, crayons, markers, ruler, eraser, and pencil sharpener.

• Book covers: When schools hand out loaned books, they often want the books to have covers. You can buy many great designs at paper and bookstores. Let the child choose. Elastic textile book covers that can be used again and again have also become popular. Remember to label the books, for example with name labels.

• Gym clothes and sneakers: Does your child have gym clothes and shoes that are suitable for the activities in gym class this autumn? Check what the school expects your child to bring for gym class.

• Brush their hair: Give your children a round with the nit comb before school starts. That way you know that your children are starting lice-free.

Is it labeled?

Nearly all the things you see on the checklist are items that children need to bring back and forth from school every day. So remember to label them with either name labels or iron-on labels. At Ikast Etikett, we always recommend attaching the name labels to a name tag or label on the inside of the clothes. That way, the labels won’t come off when you wash the clothes.