Back to School: Preschool & Kindergarten Essentials

The early school years are such a precious time. Your young child is just getting the hang of what school is like and his brain is a sponge, soaking up all that there is to learn. The curiosity of preschoolers and kindergartners is inspiring. Make the most of the first school years with the right stuff. We have all your preschool and kindergarten essentials here for you in one place!

Nap Mats by Wildkin

The Gear

Nap time. It’s probably one of our favorite moments of the day; the peace, the quiet, and the well-rested, joyful kids that result from a mid-afternoon nap. If parents enjoy those small moments, you can probably guess that teachers really enjoy those little breaks as well! How they get a classroom full of preschoolers to nap, though, is nothing short of amazing!

Wildkin’s nap mats are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers in need of a mid-day nap — whether at school or home! With their all-in-one design, Wildkin’s nap mats are not only functional, but incredibly versatile. And, their fun designs make them a child-favorite.

Features to Love

• Includes matching, removable pillow
• All-in-one design (mat, pillow, and blanket)
• Cotton/polyester exterior
• Attached blanket lined with soft cotton flannel interior
• Easy roll up
• Fastening velcro straps for easy closure
• Handy carrying strap
• A wide variety of colors and patterns
• 4 different styles: Licensed, Original, Easy Clean, and 100% Cotton
• Never treated with chemicals
• 20″ W x 50″ L

Brand

Created with safety, fun, and function in mind, Wildkin is a privately owned business located in Nashville, Tennessee that sells everything a child needs to learn and grow. From backpacks to nap mats, bedding, lunch boxes and much, much more, Wildkin proves again and again that non-toxic, safe products for kids can be made and designed to delight kids of all ages. Their various patterns and licenses are used across the board in all of their products, making mixing and matching items — such as lunch boxes and backpacks — fun and easy!

SHOP

Original Nap Mat in Big Fish | Original Nap Mat in Mermaid

EXPLORE AND CONNECT

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Room Essentials by Lush Decor

The Gear

If your child is starting preschool or kindergarten, make the beginning of the school year even more special with a room makeover. Your child will feel so grown up with a “big kid” room. A room makeover is symbolic of this new stage of life. Make this makeover possible by shopping with one of the best online decor retailers, Lush Decor.

For the bedroom, the Fiorella Quilt 4 Piece Set will instantly turn a baby girl room into a big girl room. This bright white bedding with sweet ruffled details is so feminine. The handmade flowers on this quilt are just precious. We love that this bedding is perfect for a little girl’s room but doesn’t look so childish that it will need to be replaced in a couple years. The set includes a quilt, two shams and a decorative pillow.

The Bohemian Striped Throw Sherpa is perfect for early morning snuggling or a nap after school. School is tiring and sometimes a kid just needs to curl up for a little rest. Keep this throw around for just those moments. The bohemian design is incredibly fashionable. The sherpa reverse side makes it warm and comfy.

Ensure that your daughter will sleep well and still have a pretty room at the same time with the Star Window Blackout Curtains. These curtains block out sunlight, making an early back to school bedtime possible. The brightly colored fabric with the metallic star detail is cheerful and fun.

Don’t forget the bathroom! Lush Decor’s Ruffle Shower Curtain is so fun. This curtain will make your daughter’s bathroom look just as gorgeous as her bedroom.

Features to Love

Read moreAmerican Blanket Company: Wrap Yourself In Luxury

Fiorella Quilt 4 Piece Set

• Includes quilt, 2 shams and decorative pillow
• White, with ruffles and handmade flowers
• Available in Full/Queen and King
• Machine washable

Bohemian Striped Throw Sherpa

• Bohemian design with floral and twirling patterns
• Cotton face, polyester back, sherpa reverse
• 60″H x 50″W
• Machine washable

Star Window Blackout Curtains

• 2 room darkening panels
• 3″ rod pocket
• Each panel is 84″H x 52″W
• 3 color options: Pink, Navy, or Green

Ruffle Shower Curtain

• Microfiber curtain with overlapping ruffles
• 72″H x 72″W
• 6 color options: Green, Multi, Pink, Purple, Peach-Plum, and Ivory
• Dry clean

Brand

Lush Decor was created to make good interior design affordable for everyone! Everything created by Lush Decor is fashionable and designed to be lived in. This isn’t the kind of home decor that makes your house like a museum that you don’t want to touch. They offer a wide variety of designs for every room in your home that you will enjoy for years to come. If you need bedding, bath decor, window treatments and accessories, look no further than Lush Decor.

Learning Kit by Teach My

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The Gear

Are you homeschooling your kindergartner? Do you have a preschooler that craves a little more when it comes to learning? You can teach your child in 20 minutes a day with a Learning Kit from Teach My. The Deluxe Version – Teach My Kindergartner Kit has everything you need to help your child learn kindergarten skills in 20 minutes a day.

This all-in-one kit has tools and resources to teach things like spelling, money, time telling and the calendar. We love that this program is designed to be screen-free one on one time. No need to plug your child into a computer or tablet. You can enjoy the enriching activities in the Teach My Kit together and will feel so proud as your child masters new skills. Reinforce what she is learning at school or teach more advanced skills if preschool isn’t quite enough. Matching and repetition are used to make learning easy.

The Kit’s tools include:

• 52 double-sided spelling flashcards (100 words)
• 52 magnetic letter tiles
• Wipe-off spelling board
• Wallet and play money
• Money flashcards
• Wipe-off analog clock
• Digital time maker
• Wipe-off time book
• Date maker
• 70 date, weather and season cards
• Wipe-off calendar book
• Teaching guide
• Storage case

Features to Love

• Screen-free activity based learning
• Master spelling, counting, handling money, telling time and more
• Promotes school readiness
• Affordable resources to teach any child in 20 minutes a day

Brand

Teach My was created by a mom. She had the realization that parents are the most important teacher in their child’s life and wanted to create products to help develop basic skills and school readiness. These learning activities encourage bonding and are just plain fun to do together as parent and child! Teach My makes learning kits for babies 6 months through kindergartners.

Nap Mat by Janiebee

The Gear

If your child is headed to daycare, preschool, kindergarten or Grandma’s, you will immediately discover the advantages of a nap mat. Then you realize there are many options out there, so where to start? Are all nap mats created equal? Well, the simple answer is no. However, there is one brand that really stands out: the Janiebee Nap Mat. These custom made, plush nap mats are not only comfortable but also a unique work of art. They have designs for both boys and girls and allow for customization and personalization. Being one of the larger nap mats in the market, your child can utilize their mat for many years to come. They are washable, with a removable pillow, and an attached dot minky blanket. Your little one will be dreaming in no time on the Catching Fireflies Nap Mat. This napper is a perfect mix of blues and pinks, features images of running horses, trees in twilight and kids chasing fireflies. After a quick rollup, it is easily secured with the adorable pink ties. With a strap that makes it easy to carry, your child will be ready to go in no time.

Features to Love

• Handmade in the USA
• Unique designs
• Attached double thick minky pillowcase and blanket
• 2 thick batting for a comfortable sleep
• Machine washable and dryer safe
• Fabric tie closures
• 20 wide x 53 long

Brand

Janiebee was created in 2009 from the love of family and carefree memories of growing up. Their boutique quality product is handmade in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA.

Dishware by Lollaland

The Gear

If you’re sending your little ones off to preschool this year, you might be required to bring their own dishware for snack time. Preschool transitioning is hard enough without having to worry about your child having difficulties with her sippy cup.

The Lollacup is a thoughtfully designed valve-free cup that helps young children learn how to efficiently drink from a straw. With a cute animal design and chunky handles, your little ones will love drinking out of their “big kid” cup. And you can rest assured that you are sending them off to school with a cup they can handle comfortably on their own.

The flexible straw has a detachable weighted bottom that anchors in the liquid, making it easy for children to access every last drop of water, and the lid rolls over and encloses the straw for easy traveling and space-saving storage when not in use. Since this cup is valve-free, you don’t have to worry about mold growing in the little nooks and crannies of tiny hard-to-clean pieces. The handles can be removed so that the cup will fit into almost any standard cup holder, so your child can bring her Lollacup with her anywhere she goes. (A straw replacement pack is available to fit any Lollacup.)

Add to your child’s Lollaland collection with the colorful mealtime dish sets. Each set includes a plate, bowl and dipping cup. These dishes are thick and durable, and are perfect for child-sized portions.

They can be easily stacked, making them convenient and space efficient to store or pack in your little one’s backpack for school. You can choose the summer or spring set, each a different color scheme to compliment its components and your child’s preference.

Features to Love

Lollacup

• Choose from 6 different colored bird designs
• Roll down lid to prevent leaks
• Removable handles for easy travel
• Valve-free straw with weighted bottom for full access to liquid
• Holds up to 10 ounces of liquid
• Made in the USA with FDA-approved materials; BPA and phthalate-free
• Comes with a straw cleaning brush
• Minimal parts for easy cleaning

Mealtime Sets

• Choose from summer or spring shades
• Thick and durable – not thin, flimsy plastic
• Each set comes with a plate, bowl and dipping cup
• Dishes are stackable and modern in design and appeal
• All dishes are dishwasher and microwave safe
• 7.75″ x 2.75″ x 7.75″ – making them perfect for child-sized portions
• Made in the USA with FDA-approved materials; BPA and phthalate-free

Brand

When their daughter began showing interest in drinking from a straw at just 9 months, Hanna and Mark Lim were disappointed in the selection of straw sippy cups on the market that made it nearly impossible for children to learn how to use a straw efficiently. So, they designed the Lollacup with all of the qualities they were looking for: easy to use, easy to clean, valve-free and made with safe, non toxic materials.

They took their product to the market and began selling quickly. But they soon discovered as most small businesses do, that they needed more financial support to help their business grow. They took the Lollacup to Shark Tank, and partnered with Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec. Their single Lollacup design grew into Lollaland, where they now carry an entire line of safe, practical and beautifully designed children’s products.

Art Supplies by International Arrivals

The Gear

With a new school season upon us, now is the perfect time to stock up on all of your art supplies! International Arrivals makes that as easy as it is fun. All of their products are made to help inspire the creative artist in your children (and in you as well)! For preschoolers, it is likely that they are just breaking into their own as far as coloring and crafts, so now is the perfect time to introduce them to International Arrival’s wide array of options. They truly have something for everyone from the essential crayon collection to scented markers, stackable markers, oil sticks and SO MUCH MORE!

If you are sending your kids off to preschool or even kindergarten for the first time you will quickly see how they come home wanting to “practice” and “create” all of these newfound skills they are learning during arts and crafts time. Make sure you are prepared with a plethora of supplies!

Features to Love

• Oil Pastel Twist Sticks are a no mess solution to oils. They will keep little hands clean and come in 24 blendable colors.
• Padworks Ferocious Animals and Monster Mouths are perfect for school notepads or even drawing silly pictures!
• Pocketpal Journals will fit right into a small backpack or even a pocket for a great on the go notepad.
• Brilliant Bee Crayons have the perfect ergonomic shape for little hands while coloring smoothly and even writing on black paper.
• Left Right ergonomic crayons are non-toxic, eco-friendly and even erasable!
• Monsters Scented Neon Markers are shaped like adorable monsters and feature great neon colors.
• Stackables Stacking Markers are washable and feature 21 different colors and are easy to travel with.

Brand

The team at International Arrivals is on a mission to bring you fun, functional and fantastic products that are meant to inspire the artist within children and adults! Count on them for everything from pens – gel and ink, mechanical and non-sharpening pencils and markers to paints and craft glue. Count on spending hours of quality family time with stickers, sketch books, journals, stamps and so many other great products!

Educational Toys by Lakeshore Learning

The Gear

Are you looking for toys that are innovative but also help your child learn while having fun? Lakeshore Learning has everything you could need to prepare and challenge your child. They not only have resources for school-age students but they start with early learners too – they make toys starting at the infant level and go up to 6th grade. Every developmental milestone is important and Lakeshore Learning has toys, activities and resources to help your child at any age.

Lakeshore Counting Cars are a great first introduction to math, especially for those who love playing with cars! This toy contains 10 cars and plastic “passengers”. Each toy car has a numeric and written number on the side of it. Your child can count the amount of passengers in each car to match the number represented on the car. The car seats the exact number of “passengers” on the side of the car, so it has a self-correcting way of learning. It is a terrific way to use visual and kinesthetic learning – all in one toy!

You will just love the Shake & Reveal Science Cards because your kids are being taught something new and interesting. Your kids will love them because they are interactive and fun. It is a win, win situation! There are 20 question cards that when shaken, reveal the answer. Your child will read the question at the top, slide the card through a window, and shake the card so that the magnetic shavings reveal the answer. Not only do they have a question answered, there is a fun fact on the back of the card!

Every kid loves a challenge and the Create-a-Chain Reaction STEM Kit does just that. It uses a combination of tracks, ramps, hammers, and pendulums to create an obstacle course that ends with a “goal”. Now, it may take a child some time to get it right, but they can take as many test runs as they need. Once they figure out a way to construct it, they will drop a ball onto the track and go for the goal! Using this kit, your child will get their first practice with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and start understanding concepts such as gravity, force, speed and momentum. They also use the process of design and problem solving which can help them in many other areas of their learning.

There are a ton of different options when you want to buy play food for your son or daughter. The Healthy Lunch Play Food Set is a great option since it provides everything that a child needs for a healthy, nutritious lunch. The lunch set contains vegetables, fruit, dairy and protein – everything that should be in a proper diet. Your child can play as well as learn about the importance of good food.

Features to Love

• Developmentally appropriate toys from infants to 6th graders
• Introduction of math and STEM concepts even to early learners
• Innovative products that are aligned to state standards for learning
• Understands that the power of play is essential in young learners and continues to be valid throughout elementary school

Brand

Lakeshore Learning started creating toys for early learners in 1958 and has since expanded to the education of all elementary school children. They pride themselves on being a dedicated company that focuses on innovative and fun products to help children learn. Their toys help children reach their developmental milestones and educational goals by using fun concepts that ignite their imaginations. They want children to be excited about investigating the world around them and make toys that do just that. Not only do they want to focus on your child, but on the relationship you have with them as parents. They make their toys engaging and interactive so you can play while your child learns in a new and exciting way!

Labels by Inchbug

The Gear

It can be difficult to keep track of your children’s belongings, especially at pre-school or daycare. Most of the time, daycares and pre-schools require there to be labels on sippy cups, lunch boxes, backpacks, and even clothing that is sent or worn daily.  Inchbug gives parents a way to be sure that their children’s things are organized and labeled appropriately for school and home.

Original Orbit Labels are a fantastic alternative to writing your child’s name in marker on a sippy cup, bottle, or food container. Marker will rub off or wash off in the dishwasher and you will have to continue to re-write the names throughout the week. Orbit labels are here to solve these problems. These labels are reusable, non-adhesive and personalized with whatever personal information you need on your child’s belongings. They are able to stretch so they can be used on many different sized and shaped bottles and containers.

Because the labels are engraved, the letters will never peel, fade, or disappear. It also clings tightly to whatever it is around so there is no concern about your child removing it. It also has a non-slip grip so that your child can easily manipulate whatever food container it is around.

These may be great for daycare or pre-school but they can also label shampoo and conditioner bottles for college and camp-bound students! So, they can even benefit older children; they are a great gift for any age!

TagPal Clothing Labels are a great way of personalizing children’s clothing with their name. These are not any ordinary label; you can design them with their favorite color, favorite activity and customize the text on each set of labels. They are even easy-to-use! With no ironing, you peel, stick, and your clothing is personalized for each of your children. The labels secure onto the clothing tags – even through multiple washing and drying sessions!

Features to Love

Orbit Labels

• Use on multiple food containers and can be transferred easily
• Stretchy material that is snug with a non-slip grip
• Engraved name and information – so it will never peel, fade or wash away
• Dishwasher and microwave safe

TagPal Clothing Labels

• Personalize with a name and unique color and design
• Peel and stick to clothing tags – no ironing necessary
• Machine washable and dryer safe

Brand

In 2004, Inchbug was founded by parents who had an innovative product that would make their lives easier. BumpyName was the company’s original product (which is now known as the Original Orbit Label) and was released in 2005. Inchbug is now a company that releases high quality products that help parents and children label their belongings.

Car Tape by InRoad Toys

The Gear

What does a parent do when a child asks you to make a road for their oodles of toy cars, trucks, and automobiles? Do you just ask them to play “pretend”? Maybe you decide to get a big scroll of white paper and draw a road with some landmarks just to appease them. But, then that paper will crumple, get dirty, and eventually tear. InRoad Toys knows the concern that you have, and they have created a fun and functional way to get this road-building job done that everyone will love.

They have created PlayTape which is the best of both worlds. It is something that actually looks like a real road and sticks to any hard floor. The bonus is that PlayTape unsticks without any residue and can be reused over and over again! Not only is it reusable, but once you are finished with it, it is also completely recyclable. So, you don’t need to worry about the waste of throwing this in the trash.

With PlayTape, you can create a road, a small town, or a whole city! The reusable tape can be taken and repositioned if you have made mistakes or just want a different look to your creation. The roads can be just the start; the imagination doesn’t have to end there. Your child can create other portions of a city with blocks, Legos, or toy buildings. For the car lover, this really is the perfect start to imaginary play. Imaginary play is vital for pre-schoolers and can actually be more important than a sit-down classroom environment at this age. During the pre-school age, we need to give them opportunities to expand their minds by using their own imaginations. You are providing these opportunities to foster their creativity and develop their minds while they are young.

Features to Love

• Sticks to any clean, flat surface
• Made of paper so it is easy to tear and creates an almost seamless and smooth surface for driving toy cars
• Residue free (when peeled from the ground) and reposition-able
• Toxin-free and recyclable

Brand

In 2002, there was a little boy named Brian Musliner who asked only for toy cars for Christmas. And that is what he received – in droves. The only issue was he had so many toy cars, but no car roads to drive them on. There wasn’t anywhere he could buy roads! Brian’s dad decided to do something about this problem. He wanted to create roads that you could use anywhere and anytime. In 2014, PlayTape was introduced as the fastest and best way to create roads for toy cars. Now, the company not only has road tape, but also has railroad tape to create an even bigger and better town or city for your cars.

Puzzle by Tinyme

The Gear

Puzzles are a fun tool that are not only educational for children, but something they will play with for hours. Tinyme takes it up a notch allowing you to customize a puzzle with your child’s name. Each block piece has a unique color and pattern for those early learners to match: then as they start learning to spell their own name they can use one of the two slide in cards to help them grow from matching letters and colors to only matching letters with the black and white card. This puzzle is appropriate for ages 18 months and up, and in no time will have your child spelling their own name. The Wooden Name Blocks Puzzle has many unique options to choose from, making your puzzle one of a kind. This fully customizable puzzle allows you to select two unique fun images, plus the colors, patterns, font and name that can be 5-9 characters long. Each puzzle is made to order, and is a timeless piece that they will want to keep for years to come.

Features to Love

• Made to order
• Unique and modern
• Educational
• Practical and great quality
• Felt pouch for storage

Brand

Tinyme was formed by three dads who wanted to find a way to mix their geeky high tech machines with some cuteness. This mission led them to provide a comprehensive range of affordable, premium quality, and designer personalized products for kids, that can be quickly created and shipped to your doorstep.

We hope you can enjoy the magic that is the preschool and kindergarten years. The pressures that plague our kids in school as they get older haven’t kicked in yet and play time is the main way kids learn. Pick up some of these items that make being at school and learning at home easier. You won’t believe the difference in your child from the beginning of the school year to the end. Soak in all the special moments!