Back To School | Kids & Tweens

I’m not sure about you but just reading “back to school” gives me a little bit of anxiety. As a parent of two I am both excited for school to start but also sad that the summer is coming to a close. When I asked the TRM Tribe when you start thinking about Back To School shopping the overwhelming response was NOW!

Funny enough I’m in the same boat. We have started grabbing things like backpacks and shoes that I KNOW the kids will need but soon I’m doing a full edit of what we have on hand and what we will need for the upcoming school year.

Although my kids are 3 years apart my oldest is really starting to want less “kid” stuff and leaning hard in to the tween and teen items. This year I’m growing my lists to include elementary school and intermediate/ middle school kids.

Lands End Backpack | Lunch Bag | Camo Backpack | Camo Lunch Bag

Soccer Tee | Shorts | Sneakers

Active Tee | Shorts | Sneakers | Lunch Bag

Active Tee | Shorts | Sneakers | Lunch Bag

My daughter going into the 5th grade has moved into that age where some of her friends are wearing adult sizes but she is still needing pretty slim sizing but without the “kid” look. She LOVES Athleta girl because it fits her slender built and so much of it is soft and comfy! This year though the desire for Lululemon has hit our school hard so I did find her a few styles that fit in adult sizing.

We also found some cute styles from Lands End that have a good athletic fit while not being as expensive as many of the “athletic” stores.

Tick Talk 4 Watch (clip the $15 off coupon)

The other BIG change for the kids is my daughter will be going to a new campus for 5th & 6th grade. With bus schedules, activities and just wanting to give her a bit more freedom but without the iPhone we found the Tick Talk watch and love it. It as video and voice calling, pre-loaded texts, GPS and more.

Soccer Tee | Shorts | Sneakers | Camo Backpack | Camo Lunch Bag

This year my little man is trying out soccer! He basically lives in athletic clothes so this tee from Lands End with athletic material was perfect.

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YOUNGER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE:

Thermos Funtainer Water Bottle 12 oz // 16 oz : While my daughter loves her hydro flask my son isn’t quite ready for a bottle that size and does great with the Thermos funtainer size. Still keeps water cold but in a manageable younger kids and available in 12 oz or 16 oz.

Lunch Chillers These are some of the few ice packs that fit with a Bentgo box in our Amazon and PB Kids Cold Pack Lunch boxes. They are slim but keep things cold!

Bentology Lunch Box for Kids: For years my kids have had personalized lunch boxes from PBK but last year I found these cute ones from Amazon and we love them! They have great pockets and fit the Bentgo box well. For under $13 great for backup also. Boys prints here

Amazon Echo Show Kids My kids love their Echos and the newest small Echo Show that is designed with kids in mind gives them access to music, shows and safety features along with that needed wakeup alarm.

Lunch Box Notes Kids sometimes need a little pick me up and these cute notecards are perfect for lunch boxes!

Water Repellent Quilted Sweater Fleece Jacket This jacket we got in the NSALE and it’s perfect for back to school! It’s not too thick but soft and repels rain, now I just need to add the Mabel’s Label Tag so it doesn’t get lost!

Mabels Labels We love the Back to School combo with Tag labels, small rectangles and larger circles. These go on jackets, bags, water bottles and more! They also have cooler “older kids” styles that my daughter likes.

Pottery Barn Kids Backpacks My kids have loved their PB Kids backpacks but this year they have some cool new sports styles. We get the large size and I’ve felt it’s a good size for Kindergarten and up.

Lands End Backpacks This year we realized though that it was nice to have a 2nd backpack for activities, travel and for those times when the top to the water bottle doesn’t quite get tightened before it comes home and mom picks up a soaking wet backpack off the floor (no I’m not bitter still) we grabbed some fun prints from Lands End 50% off with code RYANNE

Nike Flex Plus Sneakers: The other must have we buy every year are these Nike Flex Sneakers! My kids love the ease of a slip on sneaker when we are running out the door plus they are great for PE days. In general I feel like these run small so we size to ensure some growing room.

Micro Scooter LED 3-Wheeled, Lean-to-Steer Both my kids LOVE their scooters and since we are close enough to walk to school these get used a TON! My son still likes the smaller 3 wheel version but my daughter has moved up to the 2 wheel.

TurboSke Toddler Bike Helmet: Finding a good breathable helmet for my 5 year old has been a pain until we found this one! covers great and has tons of airflow.

Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 or Version 3: With my younger son he doesn’t need a fully functional watch with gps but this step tracker does have alarms built in great for getting ready, brushing teeth and learning to understand time!

Travel Size Umbrella Once my daughter and I got caught in the rain walking home I started slipping an umbrella in their backpacks at even the slightest chance of rain.

TICONDEROGA Pencils pre-sharpened: Although we order school supplies from our district I always pick up an extra pack of these pencils for backups at home and a mid-semester refresh for our teachers!

OLLY Kids Multivitamin Gummy Worms Over the past few months we have fallen in love with these kids multivitamins that have a sour gummy worm taste!

Purell Backpack Hand Sanitizer These travel size hand sanitizers are great to stick in backpacks.

Rosemary Repel Daily Kid Conditioning Spray for Lice Prevention: While last year had it’s challenges with masks the LAST thing I need in my house is Lice! I grab this Rosemary spray especially at the beginning of the year and spray down backpacks daily.

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OLDER ELEMENTARY:

Hydroflask & Flip Top Straw Lids I feel like it was about 2 years ago my daughter switched from the Funtainer to Hydroflasks and she has never looked back! The only thing is her favorite is the 21 oz style (fits well in her backpack) so we grabbed these flip top lids on Amazon so she could have a drinking straw.

Hatch Restore– If you have a teen or tween that has trouble waking up grab this smart sound machine/ alarm clock that you can customize with lights, sounds and even meditation if school gets REALLY stressful this year.

Bentgo Pop This bigger style of Bentgo box holds double the volume of the kids making this perfect for bigger kids and teens. It can hold up to 5 cups of food, like a sandwich, fruits, veggies, and other snacks.

PB Teen Lunch Boxes & Backpacks I get the “cold pack” version of lunch boxes since they fit the Bentgo boxes best. Also the teen backpack has more features for my tween like gold detailing and D ring to hold her keychain collection!

Athleta Girl Perfect Pair Tank & Chit Chat Capris Over the past year she has taken to Athleta girl because it fits her slender built and so much of it is soft and comfy! This tank has double layers great for those girls that don’t want to have to wear a “bra” but need a little extra coverage. She does also like the Upbeat Bra style for times when she is wearing just a shirt.

Mabels Labels Middle School Pack This set of labels for older kids has less “baby” looking graphics but still gets the job done! My daughter loves the ocean looking style!

Gold Glitter Initial Key Ring Since little Miss just got her initial on her backpack she thought it would be fun to add a sparkly keychain for her last name.

Razor A3 Scooter– This style is good for bigger kids with folding handle and adjustable handlebars.

Tick Talk Watch– If you are not ready to give your child a phone BUT you want them to be able to call listed people, track them with GPS, video call, listen to music and 2 cameras get this WATCH! Check out my video where I talk in detail why we chose this option instead of a phone.

Nike Flex Plus Sneakers (Amazon Listing): The other must have we buy every year are these Nike Flex Sneakers! My kids love the ease of a slip on sneaker when we are running out the door plus they are great for PE days. In general I feel like these run small so we size to ensure some growing room.

TICONDEROGA Pencils pre-sharpened: Although we order school supplies from our district I always pick up an extra pack of these pencils for backups at home and a mid-semester refresh for our teachers!

OLLY Kids Multivitamin Gummy Worms Big kids need vitamins too!

Purell 4 oz bottles I don’t know about you but after last year I have a new appreciation for brand name hand sanitizer that doesn’t feel and smell like rubbing alcohol. Stock up on these travel sizes to stick in backpacks and my daughter loves to attach them to her D ring with these cute holders.

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INTERMEDIATE / MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE:

Under Armour Backpack This fun camo print backpack is great for school and for sports for those active guys.

Athleta Girl Backpack This backpack is great for older girls with internal laptop sleeve, front zipper pocket with compartments for a phone, pencils, and other essentials with an antimicrobial lining.

Bentgo Pop This bigger style of Bentgo box holds double the volume of the kids making this perfect for bigger kids and teens. It can hold up to 5 cups of food, like a sandwich, fruits, veggies, and other snacks.

Bentgo Salad Bowl My daughter loves a salad for lunch but it was always hard to bring until we found this new style from Bentgo! It has compartments for lettuce, toppings and dressing plus a fork!

PackIt Freezable Classic Lunch Box This inventive lunch box freezes in the interior walls so no need to bring extra ice packs. Great for the kid that tends to forget things!

Bentgo Lunch Bag This lunch bag fits the salad bowl really well with some room for a drink and snacks.

Camelback Water bottle We loves these squeeze water bottles for sports but also a great option for school with insulated sides and a no leak top.

Case-it The Dual 2-in-1 Zipper Binder Ok I think back in the day we called these a trapper keeper but anyway these zipper binders are great for the kids that can’t always get to their lockers through the day. It has internal pencil punches, multiple pocket, 600 sheet capacity and a shoulder strap!

Case-it The Universal Zipper Binder This version holds a 13″ laptop perfect for those older kids that have a Chromebook that they are toting around daily.

AirPods Pro We got my daughter a pair of these for travel and they instantly became her go-to when using her iPad. Great for those kids that need some noise cancelling to concentrate.

Athleta Girl Pencil Case We are always on the hunt for cute but not too girly pencil cases and this one from Athleta Girl is perfect.

5ct Locker Kit with Shelf Garden Green Miss A is pumped to have a locker this year so we are decking it out with shelves and accessories. I loved this kit from Target under $15

5ct Locker Value Pack Boho Sage If you already snagged a shelf but looking for more accessories this set is super cute.

Sneaker balls tweens and teens can be smelly so grab a pack of these sneaker balls and throw them into shoes, sports bags and lockers!

FunkAway Odor Eliminator Spray for Clothes, Shoes and Gear Same idea, in a spray

Wash Yo Self Shower Wipes These larger body wipes are AMAZING!! We use after sports but they are also great for tweens and teens that have athletics but no time to shower. Quick wipe and they are refreshed. code RYANNE20 for 20% off

Athleta Girl Period Kit While I THINK my daughter is still a few years off from this I feel like it’s crucial to be prepared so I snagged this kit for when the time comes.

Pillow Slides My daughter and two of our teen babysitters LOVE these squishy yet comfy slides.

Crocs While my daughter has not gotten into this trend I see them all around town with the teens in our area so I KNOW they are popular but I just can’t stand them!

Under Armour Shorts I feel like about 90% of the boys I see are in athletic shorts.. my husband and son included! These are a great staple for now and into winter (at least in Texas!)

Lululemon Hottie Hot Shorts If your daughter is like mine and wants to dress like the older girls but is still on the slender side these shorts fit her in the smallest women’s size, and they are pretty cute!

lululemon Align™ High-Rise Crop 17″ Same with this style legging, they are the tightest fitting so smaller tweens and wear these.

Although I will be sad to not have my babies around all day once school starts it also means I can float in my pool by myself!! YAASSS!!!

Professional Photos by Audrie Dollins, some items in this post were gifted by the Land’s End. 

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