How are we shopping for fun school supplies already? It feels like back-to-school season surprises us every year! So depending on where you live in the country, it’s now time — or almost time — to choose new lunch bags, backpacks, binders, folders, pencils, clothes, calculators, and crayons.
But whether you (and your kids) love it or loathe it, back-to-school shopping is still a necessity, so why not make it enjoyable by also selecting some really fun school supplies? Here’s our very special Jedi mind trick: You hone in on some extra special novelty items, like a dragon-head stapler or pencil cases that look like food, and then turn off your brain to load up your cart with the required list of felt-tip pens and wide-ruled spiral notebooks. Then when you bring home your bags from the store or you and your kids open the Amazon box at your doorstep, there will be something they’ll be excited to see. It’s also a great way to banish anxiety about all the strange new changes they’ll be facing in a new classroom.
Even if you’ve opted to homeschool your child, there’s still the potential for fun school supplies. You can get sillier pens and pencils that teachers might frown upon in the classroom as distractions. You can keep your kids’ schedules intact with dry-erase boards. And you can keep everyone in the household happier with each other with a good pair of headphones with microphones that can make Zoom calls a million times less annoying.
So even if the back-to-school season is sneaking up on you, we challenge you not to get psyched about the school supplies we’ve rounded up ahead.
A version of this article was originally published in July 2017.
Key Gel Ink Pens
Could these whimsical black-ink gel pens be the “key” to a successful school year? Maybe not, but at least they’ll be a super-cute alternative to regular boring gel pens! They come in a pack of 20, so you can hand them out to friends!
Sparkly Composition Notebook
Note-taking doesn’t have to be boring when you can scribble your thoughts in this blinged-out composition book! Sensible college-ruled white paper on the inside, standout sparkles on the cover.
Dragon Stapler
The act of shoving sharp metal objects through important documents (or homework) strikes us as something deserving of this fierce creature. It’ll be so satisfying to use this stapler every time they need to attach a few pieces of paper together.
Take Care Pencils – 10 pk
Kids put a lot of pressure on themselves these days, so let these pencils be a daily reminder to your kids to be kind to themselves — and to remember that they don’t have to be perfect.
Headphones with Built-in Microphones
Who would have imagined that headphones would be an essential element of our kids’ education? Now they are the best way the whole family can coexist when working and studying from home. Available in green, pink, purple, and fun prints including Digital Camo, Girl Power, and Magical Unicorn.
The Pencil Grip
Those little fingers will have writing to catch up on when they return to school, so these ergonomic pencil grips will provide some relief. Made for righties and lefties, these grips come in a pack of 6 and are contoured to make writing comfortable. Bonus: they’re designed by doctors and tested by kids.
ZIPIT Monster Pencil Case
Don’t let the googly eyes and chompy teeth zippers fool you, these monsters wouldn’t hurt a fly. In fact, these monsters are only here to help your kiddo keep their things together. This pencil case is available in blue, silver, pink, clear, and many other colors. And at 9 inches long, this big, durable pencil case is said to be able to hold 45 pencils!
Personalized Folders
Choose retro graphics, rainbows, comic-book themes, or other backgrounds, and enter your child’s name on the form when you order. Personalized items like this are why Etsy is kind of the best. Your kiddo will love these customized folders, but please note that the price is per folder.
Tabletop Magnetic Board Easel
If your home is still a classroom — sometimes or always — you can use this miniature version of favorite tools of teachers everywhere. Let kids practice writing and math problems and doodle, or they can write down their schedule for the day.
Embellished Paper Clips
Really, why use regular paperclips when you can have supercute embroidered paper clips? From a bottle of glue and a pencil to a box of crayons and a cute little school bus, this may mean you’ll lose less of them to that strange void where school supplies go… or just keep them for your own desk supplies.
You Are Magic Notebook
This whimsical 120-page notebook will serve as an automatic confidence boost whenever your kid pulls it out to take notes or write down the day’s to-do list.
Kikkerland Dino Memo Holder
Personalize their workspace with this aROARable note and memo holder. This little green guy will guard their schoolwork space and hold a few pencils. It comes with a pack of white memo notes to get your kiddo started.
Unicorn Tape Dispenser
This adorable unicorn tape dispenser is a magical desk accessory that makes it easy and fun for kids to (literally) keep it all together. With a golden horn and glorious multi-colored tail and mane, this tape dispenser comes with two rolls of rainbow tape.
Macaron Erasers
Another fun treat from OOLY, these macaron erasers look good enough to eat — and smell good enough too (they’re vanilla-scented). Sure to be a big hit with the little ones, provided you can convince them not to actually take a bite out of them.
Creatibles DIY Erasers
If cookies aren’t your kid’s thing, an eraser they can shape and create themselves may be just the ticket. This do-it-yourself kit allows your kiddos to make their own unique erasers for school — just sculpt, bake (with the guidance of an adult, of course), and then they can erase.
Milk Cartons Pencil Case
These cute and quirky milk carton cases can be used for those freshly sharpened pencils or art supplies, like paintbrushes. Waterproof and flexible, each bag is 8 inces by 2 inches, and can also be used for coins, cosmetics, and other small items.
Nose Pencil Sharpeners
What’s funnier to kids than shoving a pencil up a nose? Shoving a pencil up a nose to sharpen it, that’s what. This nose-shaped pencil sharpener is all in fun and we could all use some laughs, right? Your order comes with a set of 12, so maybe your kiddo can pass a few out to their friends at school.
Yoda ‘Star Wars’ The Jedi Inspirational Pencils
Keep your Star Wars fan in line with these “inspirational” pencils from the Jedi himself. Hey, as long as they get good grades on the Dark Side, who are we to complain? Get this set of 5 and they’ll find legendary Yoda lines like, “Patience you must have” and “Do or do not – there is no try.”
Paint Brush Pens
For your favorite artist, these novelty paintbrush pens could inspire the most artistic writing. The 6 pens in this set all boast a paintbrush-like tip and wooden-like handle that’s so familiar to your little (or big) art-enthusiast. Writes in black ink.
Ninja Pencils
These ninja pencils are supposed to be “super trained and stealthy” (or so the brand claims), which ought to get even the most reluctant scholar in the mood to kick homework’s butt. This set of 12 pencils are No. 2 graphite and all black wood coolness.
Animal Erasers
Besides being adorable and collectible, these animal erasers clean up after themselves! Well, they need a little help, of course. One end is the eraser and on the other end, you’ll find a tool that magically picks up all those eraser remnants that are left after using it. Genius idea! The 6-pack features a dog, cat, bear, penguin, sweet bear, and duck.
T-Rex Notebook
This fun composition notebook won’t ever be hard to find, thanks to this dinosaur roaring from the cover. It’s green and wide-ruled with 100 pages and will hold all of your kiddo’s school notes or personal journaling. Maybe it’ll inspire them to write the biggest and best of dinosaur tales!
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