Preparing for First Grade

Usually the schools either post a list or send home a list of supplies needed- in first grade school usually supplies what they need to use there, you will need to have colored pencils and crayons (the erasable ones are really super)and pencils at home. LL Bean or Lands End backpacks last really well, but that means if he changes his mind easily, get a less expensive one so you don't feel bad if he only wants to use it one year. Do wait until July/beginning of August since the back-to-school sales are really worth it and they will increase his positive anticipation- you don't want to miss out on creating some excitement or have the delay be too long. HAve fun- this is an exciting time!

Most schools have some sort of orientation for new students - it's not always formal, sometimes just an "open door" day in late August. You really don't need to buy a ton of stuff now unless you can get a list. They won't expect a child to be prepared on day one, and all the prep can make a child a little nervous. It can also be a bit wasteful if you wind up buying too much of the wrong things. I would let him pick out his own backpack and lunch box - and do it in August as it helps him begin to make the transition toward school. If you buy everything now, it can get him all fired up for something that is months away, and then the start of school is anticlimactic! A small backpack is probably fine - it doesn't have to hold a lot in terms of books, but you'll find that he needs a place to stash gloves and hat in the winter. For safety reasons, it is not a good idea to have the child's first name imprinted on the backpack. Initials are okay, but he might like something with a theme like a cartoon character or some sort of pattern. I would get an insulated lunch box that he can easily open and some inexpensive plastic containers to hold various items - kids tend to swing their backpacks around or trip over them, so things definitely get squashed! As you can see from the variety of responses you have received, every school system is different. He won't need all that much so the "crowds" shouldn't be a problem, really!

Good luck, enjoy the summer, and here's to a great first grade experience!

Yes most first graders need backpacks to get their stuff home from school. I have discovered the best backpacks for kids are made by Kelty because they last for a very long time. The school will send home a list of supplies that the kids need...I know for my first grader I just sent him with a few pencils, a box of crayons, and a folder to put his papers in. As far as lunchboxes I have no idea because my kids get free lunch so we don't use lunchboxes.

Usually the school will provide a checklist for materials needed. We have the LL Bean Backpack with the wheels. - Highly recommend.
The insulated lunch boxes work well - I usually put an ice pack in as well. My son is just finishing 3rd grade and they only use pencils.
The stores are pretty good about having the supplies on sale like 10 cents for a box of crayons, erasers, etc.
As this will be your 1st year in school, you may need to call the school to obtain the list. Also for the lunch, check with your school if they are peanut free. This is more common in most schools now.
Have fun!

You need to get the specific school supply list from the school. Each school and sometimes each teacher have very specific requests. Did you enroll your son already? If so they should have provided you with the list of needs.

Hi J.
First of all-Calm down!
You have years of school ahead of you!
The teachers usually send out a list of supplies that each child needs. If necessary-contact the school and see if there is a supply list you can obtain. He is only in first grade.
You don't need any more stress in your life-two young children and a job..you have enough!
Everything will be alright. The teacher will guide you through everything.
J. H

Almost all schools provide a grade by grade list of items a child needs for the start of school. Traditionally, first graders do not use pens, but all other items you mentioned are usually on a first grade list. Most teachers do not have young children keep markers at their desks. Something new to the lists has been a hand held pencil sharpener. Contact the school office for a more definitive list. Right now schools are busy with end of the year business, so you might want to wait until school is out. A backpack, not small, is needed to bring home the multitude of papers and homework he will have, as well as his lunchbox, a water bottle, shoes in the winter, etc. It helps to keep the child's own belongings organized and as a parent, you need to clean out the backpack daily. Good luck with first grade-- it is a wonderful adventure.

Where in NH do you live? I live in Newmarket, NH. The school will have a list of all the items that the kids need. The list usually gets mailed home right before school starts up again. I would get a couple boxes of pencils and crayons. I think they may need a pencil case. The bookbags they sell at Walmart and target are just fine. We had to get my daughter one for Kindergarten we got it from Toys R US and its done just fine. The lunch box she has been using we got at Walmart its lasted all year.

Your son needs a back pack that will hold his take-home folder, lunchbox & mid-morning snack bag, a pair of gym shoes and snow pants. The packs seem light in September but by the end of January they are full!!
The school will send a list with a "welcome to first grade" letter, most likely in August. (Plan on sending in replacement supplies after the holiday break!) Everyone has a few dozen pencils at the beginning of the year and stubs mid way through!
The kids wear summer clothes for most of September, lots of outdoor recess and gym classes. My third is about to enter fourth grade so I've learned to send them to school in clothes that can be played in! Expect, grass stains, paint, markers, school glue and a wee bit of lunch to come home on the shirt or pants (or both). Wait for the Columbus Day sales to buy new fall clothes!

Hi J.,
My daughter will also be starting 1st grade.Sometimes the school will give you a list of what they need.Definately a back pack and lunch box.It doesn't have to be fancy.Pencil's,crayons,maybe a notebook(I think my son needed a composition notebook)to use as a journal.If I remember correctly it was pretty basic supplies.Good luck w/1st grade.

M.

Hi J.-

My son is starting first grade in the fall too, but I have a daughter who has already gone through it. Yes, he will definitely need a backpack and an lunch box. Some school systems vary, but my experience has been that the teacher will usually sends home a letter in the summer including a list of school supplies. Usually the supplies include pencils, crayola markers, crayons, glue sticks, and scissors. Sometimes their are other things like expo markers, rulers, pencil sharper, folders, or a note book or binder. It all depends on the teacher. So I think if you want to shop early, I would just get the basics, like the backback, lunch box, pencils, crayons, markers, glue sticks. Then see if you get anything from the teacher. As for the backpack, LL Bean is good. Some kids also like character backpacks, like Cars, etc. I would not get anything too big. You don't want it weighing your son down or hard for him to put on by himself. I would take your son with you when you shop for school supplies. It involves kids in the process and gets them excited about starting school. Relax! Everything will work out. Sometimes we as parents worry so much when our kids will be just fine :) Good luck

J.

My son just finished first grade.

He has a backpack (had him help me pick it out at Marshalls), a pencil/crayon box, and pencils (no pens because then if they make a mistake they get very upset that they can't erase and begin again). They give them pencils at school, but I bought extra for at home. I also bought erasers, a pencil sharpener, ruler, kids' scissors and Elmer's glue to keep at home for homework assignments. (We used all of these throughout the year)

The best kind of lunch box in my experience is an insulated one (again, got ours at Marshalls or CVS). I also bought one of those ice packs you can put in a lunchbox to keep things cold. And a thermos, in case you want to send a hot lunch.

I wouldn't buy art supplies yet because the teacher will generally send home a notice asking for a specific type/brand so that all the kids have the same thing.

Congrats! It's so exciting when they begin school with "the big kids"!

C.

Hi J.- My son is just finishing kindergarten in Springfield, MA. I have a daughter who is two years older. I have found that with regards to supplies it is best to wait until school begins and the individual teachers let you know what they want your child to have. Often times parents will buy supplies for the whole classroom, such as tissues, glue sticks, etc (sometimes a teacher will have a wish list) - but of course, that is not required. The budget isn't great here and teachers often have to buy supplies with their own money. If in doubt, you might contact the school directly for advice. For the most part, aside from a backpack and lunchbox, my kids didn't need to have anyting else. I buy their backpacks and lunchboxes at Target or WalMart because their tastes (licensed characters, etc.) change so quickly. However, a nice sturdy one from L.L.Bean would last longer. For a lunchbox I would just recommend an insulated fabric type one. In preschool my son had a metal lunchbox and it started to rust. Hope this helps. C. M.

My advice is to continue homeschooling... :)

J.

My daughter will also be entering 1st grade in the fall. She did go to public school for kindergarten and I have an older son entering 4th grade. I sent my child with a backpack, lunch bag, the ones they stay colder longer and a pencil the first day. Our school usually has an open house within the first week of school and each individual class room has a wish list of items that the class needs. I then purchase what the class needs. Its very hard to buy all the individual supplies and send them along with your child because other children may/may not have the same kind or any at all, plus it is very hard to share at this age. Just send the minimum and wait to see if the teacher requests any supplies for the class. Good luck!!

Hi J.,

I hope your son is as excited for 1st Grade as you are! :)

My son's school has the 1st Grade Supply List posted on their website. I would check to see if your son's does too. To give you an idea, here is our list:

1 box facial tissues
1 box colored washable markers, classic colors, 8 count, wide tip
1 dozen #2 Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, sharpened
4 glue sticks
1 pair of kid’s scissors, 5”
2 large pink erasers
1 pack of antibacterial wipes for hands
1 plastic pencil box, 8.25”x 5.25”x 2”
2 boxes of crayons, 24 count
1 2‐pocket folder

He'll definitely need a backpack and lunchbox too. Our school does not allow backpacks with wheels for K-2. I would check with your school if you are considering one. As for LL Bean packs - I find their zippers to be tricky (forever getting stuck). We have 2 Land's End backpacks (both jr. size) and they are great. I even had my sons' names embroidered on, so they won't lose them! However...my kids did inform me that they would have prefered a "regular kids' backpack" with a character on it! Oh well.

Good luck!

J.

Our school sends a list home of the supplies they need. Call your school to see if they have a list. Yes they need a backpack to bring lunch and things they bring home (an LL bean one is fine but you may want to let your child pick their own)

Hi. First as everyone has said, check with your school and try to meet the teacher too. Areas have different procedures. My niece has hardly nothing recommended from her school as far as supplies for the kids, I, on the other hand have always been supplied a list of things recommended as well as what NOT to bring. K-1st the list was a back pack, pencils, colored pencils, markers, glue sticks, 1 1- subject notebook, and a pencil box with my dau name on them.they specifically said no trapper keepers and no pens, and they really frown on the kids bringing things like pokemon cards and other 'trading' toys to school. Also for a lunchbox, we have the soft sided/insulated, and you'll want to invest in some re-useable containers for sandwiches, and some smaller ones for crackers, sliced fruit etc., to keep them from getting squished. And seriously, talk to your school, because at my dau's, all the kids get a free breakfast (K-12), but there is no snack time or snack milk and then they just have lunchtime. So, you really need to find out what your school's procedures are! And as many have said, don't stress, and watch the stores for sales in mid July early Aug, Walmart, Target, Staples etc., they'll have folders for 10 cents, crayons and pencils and glue sticks for 25 cents etc... (get extras to put away for later [like January], when the glue sticks and crayons are used up/broken.  Also sometimes the teacher/school asks for tissues, paper bags, ziploc bags etc for general classroom use. Sorry so long...  W. H in Maine

Usually teachers will send home a class list of what is needed as it gets closer. Also a lot of schools give a list to the local stores like Walmart and Staples which will be up around the time that those back to school sales start. He will need a back pack. Depending on his school they might tell you one without wheels. I know our schools lockers can't fit the ones with wheels. Not that I personally would ever buy my child one with wheels. He'll probably need a lunch box or something even if he's going to get the school lunch because he'll need something to put his snack in. If you don't want to fight the crowds then you might want to try some online shopping. There's a place called ezschoolsupplies.com which is great. Some schools even send class lists to them so you could look up on there to see if your child's school participates in that and you can figure out what he needs then. Other than that enjoy your summer and try not to worry too much.

Hi J.,
Jill D just gave you the typical list for a first grader. Some teachers may ask for 1 or 2 items more or less. It all depends on your school district and what they supply. Lists around here are generally mailed for incoming students in August and I've even had some teachers who hand the lists out the first day of school.
The idea of getting ready for school 'early' by 3 months ... well you might want to wait until school supplies are actually being sold in the stores. Enjoy the summer!

What you should be focusing on at this time is making certain your son knows the dolche list of sight words for kindergarteners, can write his/her first and last name, can count to 100 by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s. Can add simple problems with manipulatives. Knows the ABCs by sight and most of them by sound. Is beginning to be able to sound out simple closed syllables.
These are te skills that most 1st graders start with... the only thing though is you mentioned that your school had no public K. You must be from a small area of NH and it may be that the children in your town entering 1st grade in the fall will be more on the level of children entering K for the first time.

Good luck
Enjoy the summer!

Don't worry. Most teachers send out a letter with a suggested list of supplies. Obviously a backpack, and a lunch bag are important a must, but other than that I would stick with the basics. Pencils and extra erasers are also necessary, but I would hold off on those since some teachers have preferences bout everyone using the same ones.

I would contact the school & ask for a list as to what they would need. Each teacher might recommend different things. All the things mentioned sound good, but probably not pens. Crayons are probably good too. Some other things my son needed were a few folders for school papers & glue sticks. Don't forget a pencil sharpener for at home use! Insulated lunch bags w/ charactesr on them work fine. I'm sure your son would love to pick out a favorite! If you do wait closer till schooltime, the stores usually have good sales on school supplies. Good luck & try not to stress. You'll be fine!

A backpack is a must and a lunch box if he will be bringing his lunch to school. Shop together for these things. It is a fun and exciting time for your child, maybe even a bit stressful, and getting him involved is great. LL Bean or Columbia backpacks last forever. However, tastes can change as they get older, so you might want to spend less on his first backpack. I would recommend not getting too much until you know what really is needed. Some schools will supply students with a pack of crayons, etc. Others may even give you a list of what might be needed. Each school year I was always conservative about what we got ahead of time. Especially as they got older, sometimes you would find out that first day what teachers really wanted, especially in high school, such as a specific type of notebook, and then you had to go out and get something else and maybe not even use what you had gotten.

Don't stress too much about it, the school should send you a welcome letter with supplies list over the summer. Did they have a first grade orientation? We had one in our district in May (we are derry nh and just got kindergarten last year).

I would get a backpack, they always come home wiht things and this is a good way to keep it all together but until you get the supplies list I wouldn't buy too much. If you don't get one, call the school or check out their website.
Good Luck!

A. Younie
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