Schoolfamily.com - Helping parents help their kids succeed at school

For many children getting school supplies is the best part of going to school! A few years ago, on the first day of school, Amanda, was so proud of her big box of 64 crayons. Very quickly pride turned into panic when I asked her to "make a circle with your red crayon." "Mrs. McCarthy" she said, as her lip started to quiver, "I have so many 'reds' in my box, that I don't know which one to use!" Amanda was simply overwhelmed by her number of choices.

My best advice to parents is to keep school supplies simple! Many teachers send home a list of supplies before the beginning of school. For those who didn't receive a list from their child's teacher I suggest these basic items for kindergarten or first grade:

• Three sharpened pencils, with erasers
• A small box of crayons, containing no more than 16 crayons
• A small container of glue, or a glue stick
• A child-sized pair of scissors
• A pencil box to keep supplies organized and handy

Additional helpful items other than school supplies are:

• A lunch box and favorite snack for snack time
• A pocket-size pack of tissues
• A backpack that is not too heavy or oversized for your child to carry everyday
• A small container of hand sanitizer

Please don't forget to label the inside of backpacks, lunch boxes, raincoats, jackets, etc. with your child's name. For safety reasons, never place your child's name on the outside of a backpack or any other items. You do not want strangers to know your child's name.