Five 'Must-Have' Back To School Items

By the time your son or daughter reaches high school, back-to-school shopping is usually a pretty routine task. You know you’ll need pens, notebooks, folders and the like, and you’ll even save a little money by passing on the art supplies usually asked of students in elementary school. But there are a couple of items required of high school students that you might not expect.

Whether your teen is braving the halls of high school for the first time or getting ready for their last hurrah as a senior, here are five must-have back to school items for this year.

Planner

It sounds like a pretty obvious choice for a back-to-school list, but I don’t think there’s any underestimating the importance of a good planner. Transitioning from summer mode back into school mode isn’t always an easy one, and those homework assignments might be overwhelming at first. Picking up a planner will make that transition much easier, and help manage projects, homework and weekend activities so that you won’t skip a beat in getting back into the swing of things. Bonus: planners make your countdown to the holidays a much easier task.

Flash Drive

I’ve come to rely pretty heavily on my portable USB flash drive, and I’m pretty sure that dependence stemmed from all the high school papers I typed the night before it was due only to find out the printer was out of ink. I spent many a mornings in the school library printing out papers before the first bell rang, and, judging by the swarm of students crammed into one tiny room, I wasn’t the only one.

Even if your teen isn’t a procrastinator, make sure you add a flash drive to their back-to-school list so that they’ll never be stranded at school while their English paper is saved on the desktop at home.

Locker Accessories

Lockers are a student’s ‘home base’ throughout the year. It may have been intended to hold their books, but what it’s really good for are all those in case of emergency items that you never think you’ll need…until you do. That being said, make sure you stock up on must-haves like hand sanitizer, a change of clothes, an umbrella, and even some extra cash. Even more importantly, make sure you pick up a lock. Speaking from experience, it’s never fun to have your locker looted.

Road safety kit

Safe driving is a huge concern for everyone, but especially for parents of newly-licensed teenagers. It’s important to have a talk about seatbelts and speed limits, but one aspect of safe driving that most people overlook is road safety. Before your teen heads back this year, pick up a road safety kit and talk with them about how to handle different situations, like a flat tire, a mysterious light on the dashboard, or an overheated engine.

Sneakers

Homework isn’t the only thing that takes up a teen’s time once school is back in session. Extracurricular activities have become just as demanding as classes, so it’s important to make sure that your high school student has all the new gear they need for those, too, including a new pair of sneakers. Whether they’re running laps around the field or practicing their marching band routine, there’s no underestimating how helpful a new pair of kicks can be. They’ll love the newest addition to their wardrobe, and you’ll know their busy feet are getting the support they need during the after school hours.