Have you ever seen a child walking down the street and their backpack looks like it has a car engine stuffed inside? Or, have you seen a child at a bus stop throw a banana in their bag as their ride rolls up? Well, as parents, it’s our job to get into those terrifying things and remove unnecessary and stinky things that don’t need to be there. Here are seven items you should remove from your child’s backpack right away to ensure their safety, comfort, and academic success.
1. Old Assignments and Papers
Now, this is a given, your child’s backpack has more than 30 crumbled worksheets in it. Not to mention, graded assignments and the random notification that told you about a field trip you only found out about the night before. Yes, all these unnecessary papers are just crammed into your child’s bookbag, so set aside time each week to go through papers with your child, deciding what to keep for future reference and what to recycle. This habit will allow for better communication as the weeks stack up.
2. So Many Water Bottles
While staying hydrated is very important for growing boys and girls, carrying five water bottles is overkill. One refillable and reusable water bottle is all a child needs for a school day. For the love of Mother Earth, give them some training on how and where to refill their water bottle throughout the day. This approach not only reduces weight but also promotes environmental consciousness by minimizing plastic waste. Also, plastic water bottles can get heavy in a hurry! Don’t give them back problems, people!
3. Tablets and Other Stray Electronics
The new security blanket for today’s kiddos is a tablet. These rubber-padded devices playing Pay Patrol on repeat are great when you go out for a family meal; however, electronic devices in the classroom are not cool. A cell phone for emergencies is understandable, but leave the tablets and other handheld electronics at home. Reducing electronic clutter in the backpack helps your child focus on learning and reduces the chances of expensive gadgets getting lost or stolen during the school day.
4. Excessive School Supplies
We see this every year, parents loading up on school supplies from big box retailers. Is there a reason why you need enough colored pencils to revitalize the Sistine Chapel? Or, better yet, if you, aggressively prepared parents, are dead set on buying the whole shelf of washable markers at Target, can you give them to Jimmy in phases? Lugging around an entire semester’s worth of notebooks, folders, and writing utensils is unnecessary and burdensome for children. Work with your child to determine what they need daily and keep extra supplies at home or in their locker.
5. Heavy Textbooks Not Needed That Day
This item is more for our older school-age children, but we should only bring textbooks to school that are needed for the day. Set some time aside with your child to create a schedule of which books they need each day and encourage them to swap out books daily or use their locker between classes. Let’s save these kids from falling backward with a turtle shell of textbooks on the school staircase, right, can we? By managing textbook carry strategically, you can significantly reduce the risk of posture problems thanks to unnecessarily heavy backpacks.
6. Forgotten Lunch Containers
This one gives me the creeps. Inside the deep darkness of school backpacks across America is a plastic container getting hot with uneaten food, molding, growing mold, and changing into something terrifying in the forgotten darkness. Pardon the drama but parents need to establish a routine where your child empties their lunch box or bag as soon as they get home from school. Removing these items daily also provides an opportunity to clean and sanitize lunch containers, which is just great for everybody.
7. Non-School Related Items and Toys
Action figures. Pokemon card collections. Children will bring anything to school to impress their friends. These items can clutter your child’s bag and bring negative attention from teachers who are annoyed at the distraction. Plus, that T-Rex weighs like 10 pounds, man. Regularly check your child’s backpack for these sneaky additions and explain why they should be left at home.
Check Your Child’s Bag Regularly!
Stop the madness of school papers and horrifying, moldy, old PB&J sandwiches. By removing food, toys, papers, and other non-school items, you set them up for success during the school day and beyond. Take action today: Set aside time this evening to go through your child’s backpack together. Not only will you be helping them physically, but you’ll also be teaching valuable lessons in organization and responsibility that will serve them well throughout their academic journey and beyond.