Affordable Back to School Essentials

If you’re like me, you’re excited for the kids to head back to school. The only challenge is finding all the school gear they need without breaking the bank.

The good news is that you can find a ton of great school gear and supplies on Amazon and have it shipped straight to your door. No more fighting the back-to-school crowds in person! Hooray.

We all know that you’ll be picking up paper, tape, glue sticks, notebooks, and more on that giant school supply list from your children’s school. You can pick up all those school supplies on Amazon too.

In addition to the basics, here are some of my family’s favorite school-year products from amazon.com/happyschoolyear

S’well Water Bottle

Keeping our kids hydrated is a constant struggle at home. So how do we also keep them hydrated at school?

We’ve found that sending them to school with sturdy, durable water bottles like this insulated stainless steel S’well water bottle helps them hydrate during the day.

These S’well bottles stand up to the beating they take during the school day and are super easy to clean with a simple bottle brush at home. Plus these bottles are insulated so they keep water cool all day long.

Zebra Mechanical Pencils

As my kids have gotten older, their fine motor skills have improved and they now favor mechanical pencils. These Zebra colored mechanical pencils are great for art class or highlighting text in books.

My childen love mechanical pencils because they don’t have to sharpen them all the time and since the pencil tip is finer, they get more control when writing or drawing.

ZIPIT Pencil Pouch

Your children’s backpacks tend to evolve into rats’ nests as the school year progresses. Random papers, pens, and pencils always end up buried at the bottom of their bags.

Use a cool pencil pouch like this ZIPIT Candy Twister Pouch to corral all of those writing instruments in one, easy-to-find place.

Kid Safe Headphones

Headphones are essential for our kid’s technology classes (and for listening to their music at home without driving us nuts). We’ve always struggled with helping them control the volume so they don’t blow out their ears.

These MEE audio KidJamz 3 Child Safe Headphones for Kids offer built-in volume restrictions to keep the noise levels in kid-safe ranges. Brilliant!

Amazon Backpack

Your child is not going to carry all their school supplies in their arms or a plastic grocery bag. They need a sturdy backpack with storage for all their school gear.

This AmazonBasics Everyday School Laptop Backpack has plenty of pockets for your child’s daily school gear including an outside side pocket that’s perfect for a water bottle.

Wickedly Prime Plantain Chips

Our kids are constantly hungry. Instead of letting them mindlessly graze on sweets or total junk food, we prefer to send them with healthier, more natural snacks. These Wickedly Prime Plantain Chips are a good mix of sweet and savory and hit the spot during the afternoon munchies.

Weekend Fun

After a long week of school, our kids like to unwind with games and some screen time.

Our kids love their Fire HD Kindles. Your younger children will enjoy this Fire HD 10 Kids Edition Tablet with a rugged case to protect the device from your children’s constant use.

Additionally, keep your kids mentally on their toes with games tailored to help them think. Try something like this ThinkFun Rush Hour Traffic Jam Logic Game and STEM Toy to help your children have fun and learn how to problem solve at the same time.

What is your children’s favorite back-to-school gear? Share in the comments below.

Amazon sponsored this post by sending my family back-to-school products, however, I am sharing my own thoughts about these items. All opinions are my own. Links above are referral links. If you purchase, I’ll get a small bonus at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting Dad’s Guide to Twins!