Top Back to School Supplies for 2021

Photo: iStock.com/damircudic

Ring, ring goes the bell! Summer’s wrapping up and class is back in session. After weeks of relaxing beach days and family barbecues, gathering Back to School supplies can feel like a monumental task. Do the kids need new lunch boxes? Are their backpacks a little old? Actually, where ARE those backpacks? Well don’t worry, while you were enjoying the summer sunshine, we have prepared the perfect back to school supplies list!

Whether you’re shopping for elementary school, high school, or Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you’ll need a good back to school supplies list to keep you on track!  

Basic School Supplies

There are some essentials that every student needs, for any and all grades. Keep this list of basics at hand this year so nothing gets forgotten! 

We’ve got your BACK!

With snacks, books, and art projects to carry around, a durable backpack is a must-have for all students, from first grade all the way to college. For a personal touch, you can create your own backpack using the Zazzle design tool!

It’s also a good idea to have a second bag for sports and extracurricular activities. Check out these awesome options from official brand partners: Harry Potter, Batman and Scooby Doo. 

Personalized Binders FOR YOU!

Binders are a great catch-all place for classroom notes, homework, essay outlines, and more.

Pro tip: Get a custom binder for each subject to keep everything consolidated and easy to find!

You can choose from 4 different sizes:

  • Mini 1” – Designed for 5 ½” x 8 ½” sized paper  
  • 1” – Holds up to 275 pages of loose leaf paper (8.5” x 11”)
  • 1.5” – Holds up to 400 pages of loose leaf paper (8.5” x 11”)
  • 2” – Holds up to 540 pages of loose leaf paper (8.5” x 11”)

Elementary School Supplies

We may reminisce on our early education years and think it was all alphabet songs and recess, but learning to read and write is serious business! Grade school is also an important time for building confidence, and fun new supplies can help kids get excited about school. Set your little learners up for success with these elementary school necessities. 

  • Lunch box
  • Water bottle or tumbler
  • Clothing labels
  • Colored pencils and crayons
  • Kids’ safety scissors
  • Glue sticks
  • An emergency outfit (Pro tip: kids can be messy! Having a change of clothes on hand can make a day of messes that much cleaner.)
  • Tissues
  • Zip lock bags
  • Wet wipes & hand sanitizer

A Sweet Snack Time Set-Up

The best learning happens on a full stomach, so make sure your grade schooler has a lunch box and water bottle they love, to carry all of their snacks and snacks to share! Make it an adventure with a Moana or Batman lunch box, and keep those drinks cool with a bottle by Disney’s Frozen. 

Lots of Labels! 

Getting kids out the door on time can be tricky on the best morning, without important school items getting lost or mixed up with another classmate’s belongings! Cute labels can be a lifesaver for the little ones, so stock up, and stick ’em on everything! 

Pro tip: Zazzle has a great selection of officially licensed designs and merchandise! Check out these Peanuts kids’ labels for the Charlie Brown & Snoopy-loving fans or these DC Comics labels for the ultimate Justice League supporters!

Middle School & High School Supplies

Middle and high schoolers need the same basics (notebooks, pens, etc) they’ve needed since first grade, as well as some additional supplies to meet the new challenges of this higher level of education. Here are some extra items to add to your list for middle school and high school.  

Math Tools

  • Pencils
  • Erasers
  • Protractor 
  • Scientific calculator
  • Ruler: (Customize your own 12 inch ruler! Who said math can’t be fun?)

Extras of EVERYTHING

As school becomes more advanced, there are more classes and assignments to manage, and middle school and high school students need to stay organized. Start the year off right by using colors, labels, and different designs to make new notebooks, folders, and binders easily identifiable. Doubling (or even tripling or quadrupling) up on notebooks and pocket folders at the beginning of the year will save you last-minute shopping emergencies later. 

Choose cute customizable folders to make organization easy, with tons of different designs to choose from, along with templates to add names and class labels. 

College School Supplies

Congratulations, you’ve made it all the way to college! Higher education is a wonderful achievement, but of course, there will be challenges along the way, so it’s best to come prepared. Here are a few extra supplies college students can purchase to make studying and storing assignments easier. 

USB Flash Drive 

USB flash drives make carrying work easier for students who are constantly taking notes on their laptops or tablets.

Pro tip: If you don’t like to upload all your work to the cloud, backup all your documents and files onto multiple flash drives. This will give you some peace of mind in case you misplace or lose your main drive!

You can choose from many different storage capacities:

  • 8 GB
  • 16 GB
  • 32 GB
  • 64 GB
  • 128 GB

Calendars and Planners

Keep track of your due dates and deadlines with a calendar for your dorm and planner for your backpack.

Laptop Sleeve or iPad Case

If you’re the kind of student who is running from class to class with your laptop or tablet in hand, you might be a minimalist note-taker, but you could be at a higher risk of dropping or damaging your device. Keep it safe with a laptop sleeve or iPad case for maximum protection and extra style points!

iPad Case Sizes:

  • iPad 7.9”
  • iPad 9.7”
  • iPad 10.2” (8th generation)

Laptop Sleeve Sizes:

  • 10” Laptop
  • 13”-14” Laptop (fits Macbook Pros and Airs)
  • 15” Laptop (fits Macbook Pros and Airs)

Pro tip: If you would like to decorate your iPad case or cover, we recommend using kiss-cut stickers! They’re easy to apply, re-apply and remove. Also, you can upload any design or picture and create your own sticker to style your iPad!

School Merchandise

Embracing college life is as important as staying organized, so check out Zazzle’s officially licensed college stores for other school supplies with your school colors! 

School Supplies for Teachers

Last, but most definitely not least, teachers need back to school supplies too! Prepping for the new school year is an exciting time for teachers, and welcoming new students and planning lessons is always easier with top-notch school supplies. Here are our favorite back to school items for teachers. 

Post-its & To Do Lists

They’re bright, and they’re helpful. Need we say more? 

Classroom Stickers

Where would teachers be without school stickers? How would things get labeled? How would kids know what a great job they did without a shiny gold star sticker?! 

Welcome to School Cards

If your students are completely new to school and learning, some ‘Welcome to School’ tokens can go a long way towards creating a positive learning environment – especially if they’re creative, fun and adorable!

OK class, take your seats…

And there you have it, your comprehensive school supplies list for everyone from first graders to college and for even parents and teachers! For more tips on getting ready for the new school year, check out our article on How to Prepare for the First Day of School. We wish you a fantastic school year full of new learning, growth and achievements!