Back to School Checklist

It’s almost back to school supplies shopping season again! Whether your little one is starting school for the first time or going back to school for a new school year, our Back To School Checklist takes the stress out of school preparation!

Scroll to the bottom of this page to download your free checklist. 

Don’t forget to check out our Back to School Shopping Tips:

1. Buy quality school essential items online. 

Everyone loves a bargain, but it’s not really saving if you have to keep spending small amounts over and over again each time something breaks. Choose good quality and buy them early so you can save more! Skip those long lines and shop online.

Get your kid’s school essentials from Bright Star Kids. We offer a 100% happiness guarantee. Our philosophy is that your kids’ stuff should last all year, so that you don’t have to keep replacing items that just don’t last. Signing up for promo newsletters is the perfect way to ensure you don’t miss out on any mid-year promotions. 

2. Label everything!

Heaps of kids head to school with the same pencil cases, lunch bags, stationery, and backpacks that it’s super easy for things to get mixed up or lost. Using name labels for lunch boxes, drink bottles, and even uniforms is the easiest way to make sure you say goodbye to lost property or germy mix-ups!

3. Personalise It!

Create super cute personalised kids name labels and stick them onto all of your kids’ belongings. Coordinating them with other school supplies with a cute design in their favourite colour is a nice touch, too! They’ll feel extra special when all of their things have their name on them.

Have trouble downloading?

This can happen if you have an ad-blocker installed, please disable the blocker on this page so that the printable can open in a new window for you to download. If you’re still having issues, please contact hello@brightstarkids.com.au and our friendly customer service team will be more than happy to help!

Need More Tips on How To Easily Prepare Your Kids for School?

Make sure to read about our School Morning Routine Tips and How To Make Friends in School. So your kids can easily transition back to school and have a great time. 

Looking for Cute and Fun Personalised School Supplies?

You’ll love our range of super cute school name labels. We have heaps of different name labels that can go on lunch boxes, drink bottles, pencil labels, socks, and so much more! They’re waterproof and stay stuck all year, so they last and last and last. We’ve also got a selection of iron on clothing labels that has saved thousands of mums from having to replace school clothes and uniform items. The best part? They’re Made to Order For You in Australia and shipped super fast. Mums and kids love them!

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10 First Day of School Traditions: Celebrate Your Little One’s First Day of School!

It’s that time of year again when we have to start getting ready for a new school year. How do you make going back to school fun for the littles? Do you have any first day of school traditions? Here is a list of 10 first day of school traditions for kids to enjoy.

1. All About Me

Download and print this lovely ‘All About Me‘ memory keeper for your child to fill out on their first day of school. Compile them together for your kids to enjoy looking back at and seeing what they were like and how they have changed (or not!).

2. First Day of School Photos

Remember their first day of school with a sign that shows their age/year and what they would like to be when they grow up. Take lots of photos to capture their first day. Collect their yearly photos and create a milestone memory box. 

3. School-Ready Books

Leading up to the first day of school, especially if your child is going into Kindergarten or Year 1, reading some first day of school books might help them get ready for their big day.

4. Friendship Game

The Friendship Game is a cute idea to try on shy kids. Use a pillbox to fill with some treats and the incentive to get those treats. When they come home, they can tell you what they achieved that day, whether it was smiling at someone or saying hello to someone they didn’t know. They can then choose their reward from the treat box.

5. Secret Banana Message

Using a toothpick or something sharp, write a secret message on your child’s banana. By the time they go to eat it, the secret message will appear. Finding a surprise in their lunchbox might make going back to school easier.

6. Mini Schultüte

This is a German tradition where kids get a cone filled with treats and back-to-school items. It’s literally the sweetest first day of school gift!

7. Lunch Box Printable Notes

Download these cute printable lunch box notes to add some fun and extra love to your child’s lunchbox. Those fruit faces are adorable, aren’t they?!

8. Set up a Homework Station

Spend part of the school holidays planning and setting up an area where your kids can do their homework. Or surprise them by setting up a homework station while they are at school on the first day. 

9. Make a Fun & Healthy Breakfast

Get your kids ready for their first day of school with a healthy yet fun breakfast like this Oatmeal Owl.

10. Back to School Celebration Cake

Surprise your kids when they come back from school with a First Day of School party! You can download and print these cute cake toppers to put on top of your cake or cupcakes and celebrate finishing their first day of school.

Need Some Back To School Tips and Hacks?

Check out our tips for a stress-free school morning routine! You’ll love our amazing back-to-school hacks for busy parents. These should help you breeze through the crazy back-to-school days!

Looking For Personalised Labels for Back To School Essentials?

We’ve got super cute school name labels for all your back-to-school supplies! You’ll love our different name labels that can go on lunch bags, drink bottles, pencil labels, socks, and so much more! They’re waterproof and stay stuck all year, so they last and last and last. We’ve even got iron-on clothing labels that have saved thousands of mums from having to replace school clothes and uniform items. The best part? They’re Made to Order For You in Australia and shipped super fast. Mums and kids love them!

The post 10 First Day of School Traditions appeared first on Bright Star Kids.

How To Label Back To School Supplies

Stop Lost Property

As a mum of 3 kids all at school, January can be just as expensive and busy as December as I try and get everything needed for back to school!

My shopping list for back to school each year includes new school shoes, uniforms, socks, books, lunch boxes, bottles, stationery, and last but not least, a Value Label Kit.

Even though labels cost more than a Sharpie pen, from past experience I’ve found that investing in labels will end up saving you much more in the long run, as lost property can be easily identified and will be returned to you or the classroom teacher.

Before I started labelling with Bright Star Kids Labels, I’m not sure how many school hats, jumpers, lunch boxes, and stationery items my kids have lost. The unlabelled property does not always end up in lost property as it can be quickly claimed as someone else’s property! On average, I spend around $250 per child on all of their belongings, and with hats and shoes being one of the more expensive items, it’s essential that they’re labelled clearly.

Personalise School Belongings

Labels Combo Pack:

Before back-to-school time, I like to get one of the School Labels Kit that has all the labels I need for my kids’ belongings. The stick-on labels are super durable as they’re 100% waterproof, fade-proof, scratch-resistant, and dishwasher safe & guess what else?… They include Bright Star Kids’ popular Wrap & Stick clothing labels. No more ironing on labels. The best part though? My kids don’t report any lost property anymore.

My kids love picking their own labels combo pack and the live preview on the Bright Star Kids website makes it a really fun process. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time for this as there are lots of designs to choose from, perfect for babies right up to the fussiest tween or teenager! On the other hand, if your child wants something plainer or doesn’t want an icon, never fear because there is also a Plain Labels Value Kit that will just have their name printed on a plainer style label. 

Stick-On Labels:

The stick-on labels can stay stuck on most types of smooth plastic surfaces, like the ones in the image above. Some frosted finished plastics don’t allow the labels to stick properly, but usually, most containers have an area that is completely smooth so just pop the label onto that section. That’s where the tiny labels come in handy, as they can usually fit onto even the smallest section. 

The Subject Labels that come in the School Labels Kit come with a blank area that you can write on the subject and class name. I find a permanent marker works best as it looks nice and neat.

My kids love sharing their stationery with their classmates. With this in mind, I like to use the Tiny pencil labels to label everything so all their bits & pieces end up back on their desk & in their pencil case! Replacing all these things during the year is a right pain and can end up being very costly.

Shoe Labels:

I use the Round Shoe Labels in my kids’ (very expensive) school shoes. They’re really easy to use, I simply stick one of the coloured round labels into the shoe and then stick the blank clear round label over the top. This gives the name label extra protection against the wear and tear of my kids’ feet (if you don’t do this the writing might rub off). These labels again have outlasted most of my kids’ shoes so they’re really durable!

Clothing Labels:

To label all of my kids’ uniforms and other smaller clothing items like socks and hats, the Iron-On labels are perfect. The labels merge well even with stretchy fabrics like socks.

I used to label my kids’ clothing with a permanent marker, but they looked really ugly after a lot of washes. The fading and smudges made it hard to identify. After finding these Iron On Labels, I’d never go back to writing on my kids’ clothing.

These iron-on labels are really easy to iron on to most types of fabrics and they’re washing machine & dryer safe. They’re so durable that I’ve found they’ve outlasted most of my kids’ clothing. They’re pretty much impossible to remove so they’ll never be able to be claimed by anyone else!

For Back To School, we recommend the School Labels Value Kit because it includes a label for every little thing:

• Stick On Name Labels in various sizes (for lunch containers, drink bottles, & stationery)
• Iron On Labels (for hats, socks & uniform items)
• Shoe Labels with clear protection covers (for school or sport shoes)
• Subject Labels (for various subjects)

Another great thing about name labels is that I’m finding as my kids get older, they go on more excursions & even overnight camps. I now label everything that goes away with them, from their socks & undies to the toiletries they need to take with them. I usually keep extra labels from my label kit that I keep in a drawer.  As I need them throughout the year, I can just pull them out & label the necessary items. How convenient!

I hope this helps you a bit with your back-to-school organisation. 

Got Any Back To School Hacks?

We’d love to hear your tips and tricks on getting your kids ready for back to school. Tag us on Facebook or Instagram. Who knows we might feature your cool back-to-school tips and tricks on our blog?

Searching For Cute Back To School Labels?

We’ve got you! Check out our range of cute designs for our school name labels. We’ve also got school supplies you can personalise like bento lunch boxes, drink bottles, and more! The best part? These are all made in Australia and shipped super fast. You’re going to love them!

The post How To Use Back To School Labels for All Types of School Items appeared first on Bright Star Kids.