The Essential Kindergarten Checklist

In the busy-ness that is the back to school season, you may not have received a list of what your child needs when they start Kindergarten yet. There may be a few additional items you have to shop for later, but the basics never change. We have the essential Kindergarten checklist right here to take the stress off for back to school.

No need to worry, here’s what you need to get shopping!

Clothes

In your back to school shopping, make sure you prep these few essentials in addition to your child’s regular wardrobe.

• Indoor shoes – This should be an extra pair of shoes meant to be left at school, that’s for use only in the classroom setting. Indoor shoes make sure that your child always has clean, dry footwear and it makes sure you can send them to school in appropriate footwear for outside without worrying that they’ll have to wear rain boots or snow boots all day. (It also helps keep the classroom from getting all muddy in wet weather!)
• A full change of clothes – Sometimes accidents happen like food spills, tumbles into puddles, you name it. Send your child with a full change of comfy clothes that will be left at school with the indoor shoes. This change of clothes should include underpants and socks.
• Rain gear – Fall tends to be a rainy season in Ontario, but kids still need to get out to play and wait for buses. Equip your child with a pair of galoshes and a rain jacket!

Gear

This is stuff your child will need year after year, so take comfort in shopping for it early.

• Backpack
• Lunchbag
• Reusable water bottle
• Lunchbox accessories (Reusable containers, placemat, thermos, cloth napkins)
• Labels for EVERYTHING – We love Mabel’s Labels. Their labels are a great choice for both clothing and gear. 

Litterless lunches are important at school, and a big part of teaching your child eco responsibility, so we recommend either buying treats in bulk and sending them in reusable containers or making your own healthy snacks and meals!

Picture Books - To prepare in advance:

Picture books can help an anxious child get used to the idea of going to school for the first time! Here are some great choices.

• Little Bat in Night School
• How to Make a Friend
• Time for School, Mouse!
• How to Be Kind in Kindergarten
• Llama Llama Back to School
• Kindergarten Basic Skills series (from Reading House)

Lastly, you might want to shop for a personalized sign (or make one) to take a picture to get excited and remember milestone of the first day of school! (You can also do this for last day of school, the pair makes a great keepsake.) Personalized signs can be found in craft sections of shops like Staples and Michaels, but there’s also some very cute ones available with personalization options on Etsy and local Facebook groups.

Happy first day of school!

Photography by Jennifer Allison from JSHUTTER Photography