Kindergarten mamas, what are some extra things that aren’t on the kids school supplies list that you’ve found to be useful, wanted or a necessity? I added a large ziplock bag with a extra change of clothes in it with their name on it. I’d like to make my daughter’s school experience extra special because mine wasn’t so special. Any extra things I could do for her? I plan on making her lunches and making them all cute and leave notes, and for holidays make the Lunchbox the theme of that holiday. Any other ideas or advice? Specifics of backpack and supplies list ideas all of everything I’d love to hear!
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We bought more fun “supplies” for at home. This way when my little learned a new letter or math problem she could write it on fun paper or in a fun color to show us.
Keychain for backpack, and adding them through the year. Getting them for milestones is fun…1st day, end of grading period, holiday, birthdays, 100th day of school, end of first semester…they are adorable momentos. I also got her a high school shirt and put her teachers name and grade on the back, for each year, in permanent marker.
I would let her pick out her backpack, lunch bag and water bottle so she feels included
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We got mini tissue packs for the front little zipper pocket for on the bus ect hand sanitizer on their backpack to they each picked theirs out they have all kind of cool ones fidget for front pocket bus ride home and extra water bottle for back pack I put a card laminated with emergency number in their as well their has been a few times bus broke down ect that it came in handy seems like the rodeo always goes down at the same time to 
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My cousin bought adult large white t-shirts for her kids and each year she has them put a handprint on the shirt and take a picture wearing it on the first day of school.
As the kids grow you’ll see them filling out the shirt and the handprints getting bigger. Cute variation on first day of school pics.
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If your packing her lunches, put a small bottle of hand Sanitizer in her lunchbox. She can Sanitize her hands before eating.
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I’d say for safety put a tracker in the backpack
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My son just finished kindergarten and is moving on to first grade next month. I sent the ziplock baggie with extra clothes also. In addition to that, I put a sweatshirt jacket in his bag that stayed in there all school year just in case he got cold during the day.
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Send wipes. Some of my littles had separation anxiety so I had them wear a locket with a picture of their choice. (Ex: me and them, and the other side had a family picture of them and all their siblings.) We also used some calming/pleasing essential oils of their choice.
Find a fun way to track her growth each school year. Adult T-shirt with a hand or foot print, a frame with a photo of first day and last day of school that year, for each year. Could write all the special things from that year.
Allowing your child to make choices while selecting their supplies is fun and exciting for them too.
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They have some cute little keychains for hand sanitizer at bath and body works or on Amazon
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For kindergarten. nothing. A cute backpack and lunch bag if never.
They have everything needed there
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My kids have “class of 20xx” shirts, size adult XL. The first day of every school year starting in kinder I take their picture it. I plan on making them a “flip book” for a graduation gift.
Buy her the book “the kissing hand”. Read it the night before her first day. Kiss her hand right before she walks in school or gets on the bus.
We made beaded bracelets together. I’d make 1 for my kids & my kids made 1 for me. They served as a reminder that I love them & they’ll see me soon. We wore them until they got lost or weren’t needed any more. Mine are saved in envelopes with their names, school year & grade on them. They’re cute looking back. Bigger beads, pipe-cleaners for pre-k & kinder. Then random beads in early grades, then they evolve into patterns, special beads finally charm bracelets with specially chosen beads.
Just reality in America, forget the cutesy backpacks. Instead get a heavy duty backpack & a bullet proof plate. Practice wearing it in front of them & becoming a ball behind it. Sad but I’d rather my child come home than have to identify their body parts. To personalize them they chose patches & keychains.
For school supplies stick to the list. Don’t buy fancy or personalized stuff. Some of it will become community supplies like the crayons, markers etc. Other things teacher asks for specific items for uniformity.
I would send in an Amazon gift card to her teacher for classroom supplies. So many kids don’t have the proper supplies and often times, the teacher foots the bill for both classroom supplies and filling in the holes for kids whose parents can’t afford everything. I always send in extras of what’s on the list and an Amazon gift card.
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I love that you want this for your child. I think it’s beautiful. My son loved the notes in lunches. Check out iMom, they send emails with all sorts of things about kids from activities to do, how to help with big emotions, to cute lunch box ideas and jokes for kids.
A picture of the family in their pencil box and one in their lunch box. As a lunch mom, I see so many little ones who miss their family at lunch time…a little note and a picture for them to see your smile REALLY does help them feel the love on those long days
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My son remembers I bought all of his classmates the $1 books everytime there was a book order this year. So $20 and every kid got a book to take home.
As a kindergarten teacher myself, I can assure you, her teacher would appreciate kleenex, board markers, glue Sticks, etc.
A jacket just for school with their name on it. Wash it on Fridays and put it back. 2 insulated water bottles. I like to give them some awesome stickers to start the year, label them both. Actually label everything. You can even buy or make unique ones. I also recommend a back pack with the sternum strap. Even as young as kinder. I like to leave a special snack with a note on it sometimes, like rice crispy treat, goldfish or even chips sometimes. I also put a couple family pics in a Ziploc for pre-k and my eldest kept hers they 3rd. I also have her a wallet for her school bucks she gets as a reward. And my youngest has tooth necklace she keeps in there just in case she loses one at school. Jitter glitter for first days is a thing in my house.
I got my daughter and me matching bracelets for kindergarten. It came with a little card that talked about how if she was feeling scared or missing home, she could look at her bracelet and know she’s not alone, and I’m thinking of her too.
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When my daughter first stated school she had bad separation anxiety from me (I’m a stay at home mom) so I put together a small photo album. I told her that when ever she started to miss me or her brother and daddy she could take out the album. It had pictures of her, me her dad and brother grandparents, friends even her pets and it helped her a lot
A lot of schools have water fountains with refill stations for reusable water bottles now. A good reusable water bottle. Keychain hand sanitizer from bath & body works. Travel size pack of wipes.
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Not grade specific but Purchase a copy of Dr Seuss “oh the places you’ll go” (graduation edition) book and each school year have the teacher and any important staff members sign the book then present to child upon high school graduation.
These are really sweet ideas you have, just don’t be surprised if/when you’re kid comes home and asked you not to do things like this because bullies are real even in kindergarten 
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Donate baby wipes to the classroom, especially for kindergartners accidents can happen or there’s some who are still getting the hang of going #2 somewhere other than home and wipes were very welcome by the kindergarten teachers at my son’s school
Before my soon to be 4th grader started kindergarten I ordered a shirt on Amazon that says “Class of 2032” on it in a size XL. Every first day if school we put the shirt on her and take a pic. You can see how much they grow each year. Here’s a pic…
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Extra T-shirt just one or two sizes bigger for a art shirt that is put on over their clothes for protection! That won’t get in way of hands ( length of sleeves) and you don’t mind not getting back at end of the year!
As some one who has worked lunch room with little ones! Items that are hard to open for said little hands are handed to us! Please be mindful of drink boxes and such as they tend to splatter when opened! Go gurts are the worse to open as scissors aren’t allowed!
( using mouth not a option) ziploc baggies are great! extra boxes of tissues and hand wipes throughout the year are excellent ideas!
Although the small backpacks are cute, get a larger one. Folders and papers get folded and wrinkled because they don’t fit. When you try to add shoes, sweaters, etc. throughout the year it gets very frustrating for the child as well as the teacher.
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My mom bought my son “oh the places you’ll go” book and every year we send it to school with him towards the last dat with an email asking fir the teachers to leave a little message. Once covid hit, we would just email them and put the email in the book. He’s in middle school now so we still do the email which is easier than him asking 4-5 teachers to write in it 
Also, in kindergarten and the younger grades I went to the dollar tree and bought a bunch of winter hats. I learned my lesson when my son in kindergarten at that time lost his good winter hat the day he wore it to school so I keep the good winter hats at home for snow days and what not and sent him to school with the dollar tree ones so if they got lost, no biggie.
Also every year my kiddos pick out their own lunch boxes and backpacks. Whatever ones they want.
A big thing to is make sure she can open all her own food/drinks.
For the classroom I always do lysol wipes, tissues, and hand sanitizer. Most teachers in my area at least also do amazon wish list that include the achools address so you can send the items right to them. Biggest thing is snacks. Some kiddos either forget or their parents just don’t have the money for that😭 so I always buy a big box of individual goldfish or pretzels or whatever the teacher suggest.
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