I still recall as a grade schooler dreading the end of summer. The only bright spot with the coming year? Shopping for school supplies. My favorite part was picking out the 96 count box of Crayola Crayons. With fanciful names like Mountain Meadow, Cerulean Blue, Wisteria, and my favorite, the metallic-specked Copper, I marveled each time at the wide array of blues, greens and yellows.
These days, shopping for school supplies has changed. For one, the 96 count box of crayons doesn’t tend to make the required list. But there are still plenty of school supplies that are likely to get your kids excited to head out shopping. Want to know the trendy items your kids will be begging for this year? We’ve got you covered with this list of must-haves.
1. Licensed Backpacks
The characters featured on backpacks may have changed, but they’re still a popular choice for kids of all ages. Young kids might be the ones begging for Trolls, Minions or Minecraft to come with them to school every day, while older kids may still want to wear something that reminds them of Harry Potter or Star Wars. Hello, BB-8! Prices start at $19.99 at Target.
2. Crazy Keychains
Keychains make personalizing backpacks, pencil bags and other school gear simple. Plus, they’re easy to attach and swap out, unlike patches. Look for keychains in a range of sizes and styles — from emojis to cartoon characters, funny symbols to slogans. Prices vary based on style and size.
3. Food-Themed Pencil Bags
Trend experts are calling the latest design craze “food-spiration.” Your soon-to-be-student is likely to have a pencil bag, eraser, tape dispenser, or other school supply that looks like a banana, ice cream cone or any number of other food items. Prices start at $4.99 at Target and other major retailers.
4. Clothing Delivery Services for Kids
Designer-picked duds delivered right to your door isn’t new among adults — but it is for kids. KIDBOX is the first kids’ clothing box to offer the premier brands your kids will be asking for, like Adidas, DKNY, Diesel and others. Each box comes with five to seven items. For each box purchased, KIDBOX donates a new clothing item to those in need. Sizes are newborn to 14. Prices start at $98 per clothing box.
5. Allergen-Free Snacks
Snacks are free this school year — free of allergens. In anticipation of this trend, major retailers like CVS will be stocking more items like Enjoy Life Margherita Pizza Plentils, a flavor-packed chip that’s free of gluten, peanut, wheat, dairy, egg, shellfish and a list of other allergens. Larabar Bites are made with fair trade, clean ingredients and also are gluten-free. Several brands are GMO-free, including Skinnypop Popcorn and KIND products. Prices vary.
6. Modern Metallic Notebook Styles
This year, notebooks go minimal in their styling. Expect to see metallic as the color of choice and used in an array of sleek styles like the Divoga Modern Minimal collection of spiral notebooks from Office Depot & OfficeMax. Prices vary.
7. High-Tech Labels
Kids still love to label each and every one of their school supplies — from their scissors to every one of their six required glue sticks. Labeling goes high tech with DYMO’s MobileLabeler, which is wireless and Bluetooth compatible — meaning that your kids can create and print out their labels right from their smart phones. Price: $129.99.
8. Post-it Notes with Personality
Gone are the days of ho-hum yellow Post-it notes. Your kids will be asking for Post-it notes in fun shapes -— like smiley faces, paw prints and even donuts. Post-it Pop-up Note Dispensers also have become a popular accessory for kids. Prices vary.