If you’ve ever had to ask your young, school-aged child, “Whose coat is this?” – read our post to find out which Back To School Items you should label each year and why you should pick up some labels for kids school supplies.
When I first sent my daughter off to nursery school I remember see a note mentioning that all school items should be labeled. At first, I thought it was a mere suggestion. Was I really supposed to label everything? How many labels for kids school supplies would I need? I mean, her coat and backpack I could understand, but did this mean her crayons, scissors, and snacks too? Since it was going to be my first time sending my child off to school, I pondered it for a bit. I decided to label what I “thought” were the most important items.
And I quickly learned why that wise teacher said, “label everything.”
Whose sneakers are these?
I clearly remember picking my son up from nursery school, putting him in his car seat and driving him home. What I don’t remember it ever looking down at his sneakers. As I got him home, I noticed he was extra motivated to take his sneakers off. As he grunted and pulled, I asked if he needed a little help. He said he did because these sneakers were hurting his feet. Hurting his feet? As I bent down to help him, I found that they weren’t his sneakers. They were similar, but definitely not the same and they were a size too small. Who’s sneakers are these?
I don’t know.
Where is your coat?
One chilly afternoon I went to pick my daughter up from school. I stood there shivering and chatting with a mom about the bitter cold as my daughter came bouncing out the door. I stared in disbelief that she had on her big fluffy hat and her matching fluffy mittens. What she didn’t have on was her big fluffy winter coat! As she shivered against the cold, I gave her my own coat and rushed her to the car. I told her it was 20 degrees out and she was going to freeze! Where in the world is your coat?
I don’t know.
Whose lunch is this?
And of course, the mystery lunch. As I was unpacking my son’s lunch bag I couldn’t believe what I found. An ice pack that was not his. A package of half eaten cookies that were not his. And of course a half eaten sandwich. I didn’t pack him anything that even resembled those items. First I asked him if he ate someone else’s lunch, luckily the answer was no. Did he eat his own lunch? The answer was yes. So the only logical question left, whose lunch is this?
I don’t know.
I may never find out the mysteries that take place during the school day. However, I know if I label their items, I won’t have to ask so many strange questions when they get home. If your children are just starting school or if they are entering a new school, labels for kids school supplies really are important! So here are a few items that it may help to label for back to school.
10 ITEMS TO LABEL FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
- Backpack
- Lunch Box
- Thermos
- Coat
- Hat/Mittens
- Books
- Folders
- Pencil Case
- Sneakers
- Show & Tell Items
The labels I use for my children are Oliver’s Labels. They are the most durable ones that I have found. They don’t rip, scuff or smear. I love that they can also be wiped clean when they get dirty. They have so many designs to choose from, my kids can pick a new style each year!
Wishing you and your family a happy and successful school year!
Daniele
Disclaimer: We received samples of Oliver’s Labels to test out for this post. All opinions are our own.
Perfect timing for this post to come up again in my feed as I prepare my guy for kindergarten this week!
We label everything! lol. So glad this helped you out. 🙂
I completely agree about the labels. We label everything and then just pray it comes back to us.
I’m a fan of labeling pretty much everything that can be stuck with a label!
We lost too many gloves and hats during the school years! Label, label, label!
I just realized the importance of labeling, when I took my daughter in… one of the other girls had the same exact backpack.
I learned this lesson the hard way. When my son was in kindergarten, he lost 2 hoodies and a winter coat! What’s weird is that they never showed up in the lost and found either.
Oh gosh yes, it’s a good idea to label everything you can. Great post!
Our teachers give us a short list of items to label, most everything is considered “community supplies” but I did remember to label their backpacks and jackets this year. They always manage to lose those.
I have to say that I laughed at the shoes because I would never expect that shoes needed to be labelled. That’s a great list of things to label, and there are a few on there that I would never have imagined!
That’s a very helpful list, especially for parents of 1st year preschoolers! I never remember to label my children’s show & tell items. 😛
My kids wear uniforms so I always label their clothes because everybody’s stuff looks the same!
What a great idea – I love being able to quickly label everything we need to.
Very good idea….thank you for the list. Just in time for mother’s with children that age.
My son won’t start school this year because of his birthday falling after the deadline, but we already have personalized labels on hand for this belongings. I hope we never have these mysteries, especially the unknown lunch!
I’m usually last-minute scrawling names/initials with marker. These labels are much cuter. 🙂
Yes! As an elementary school teacher, please label things. Especially, the expensive things because those are the first things your child will misplace. Each year I have students lose their backpacks, glasses, coats, gloves, hats, school supplies, and the list goes on and on. Many students in this age group have difficulty remaining organized and keep tracking of their belongings, and while the teachers do their best to help, when you have a room of 25+ students, it becomes extremely difficult. A simple label can make all the difference.