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Kindergarten Success Starts With The Right Stuff!
- Angela Odusanya
- Aug 25
- 4 min read
Back to school season has arrived and I have agreed to help open a new kindergarten class for the first month or so of school while the hiring process unfolds. Accepting kindergarten was an easy yes for me as I have spent most of the last 11 years teaching kindergarten. I have the resources and the experience to create a meaningful experience for students without needing to learn a whole new curriculum overnight.
But, for many parents, sending a child to school for the very first time comes with a mix of excitement, worry, and a whole lot of questions. What kind of backpack should they have? How do I pack lunches? Which shoes are best? While every child and family is different, I’ve seen over the years that some choices really help set children up for success and independence. So let’s break it down.
1. From Lunch Containers to Backpacks
Since the lunch container goes into the lunch bag, and the lunch bag goes into the backpack, start by selecting your lunch containers first.
The trendy all-in-one lunch containers are often loved by parents, but I personally do not recommend them for kindergarten because I have seen what can go wrong in the classroom. Like when a child eats the whole thing at first snack or even worse—drops it—goodbye food for the whole day.
Separate containers are much better, as long as your child can open and close them on their own. Bring them shopping with you and try before you buy by having them open containers right in the store. It can also be helpful to label them 1,2 (and 3 for traditional day schools) so your child knows when to eat each part of their lunch.
Once you’ve got your containers, find a lunch bag that fits them easily. Remember—your four-year-old won’t have your expert Tetris skills.
Finally, pick a backpack big enough for the lunch bag, a water bottle, extra clothes, and a library book. If it looks a little too big on your child, it’s probably perfect.
2. Water Bottle Considerations
One thing I have noticed over the years is that water bottles have gotten bigger. Thankfully, most schools have refill stations so you don’t need to send in your child’s body weight in water.
I recommend a medium size non-spill water bottle to avoid unnecessary spills. Kindergarten classrooms are very busy places and things get knocked and bumped as children continue to develop their spatial awareness skills.
When an open spout water bottle spills, at least one student will need to change their clothes, a custodian will need to be called to mop up the mess, and instructional time is lost. When a non-spill water bottle gets knocked over, there are no disruptions to student learning. Plus they won't leak in their backpack either!
3. Clothing Choices Matter
Kindergarten is a whole new level of independence, and clothing can either make it easier—or set a child up for stress. Picture this: a four-year-old suddenly realizing they need the bathroom, but their pants have a button, a belt, or worse—overalls. By the time they wrestle with it, the moment has passed. Accidents happen not because a child isn’t ready, but because their clothes got in the way.
Jogging pants and leggings, on the other hand, slide down quickly and back up just as easily. They make bathroom trips stress-free and accident-free. It’s such a simple swap, but it makes a huge difference in your child’s day.
Another consideration is messy play! In kindergarten we paint, dig, climb, spill, and explore. Play clothes are best for school. Save the expensive, delicate outfits for weekends. Children learn with their whole bodies, and messy clothes are a sign of a day well spent.
Speaking of messy play, they need a full set of clothes and several pairs of extra socks. This goes for kids who don’t have washroom accidents, too. They might be the kid at the other end of a water bottle spill, or they may just get wet playing outside or in the sensory bin and want dry clothes. And all that shoe changing, often leads to wet socks at one point or another.
4. All They Need Are a Good Pair of Shoes (x2)
Your child will change their shoes about 6-8 times a day! The wrong shoes cause a lot of unnecessary frustration for kids. Most kids in kindergarten can’t tie laces yet, and those who can take a long time and tie them too loose, so they untie often anyway. Velcro or slip-ons are best.
Food for thought: Imagine if every student in a kindergarten class had laces. That would be about 50 shoes for the teacher to tie. If it took the teacher a minute per kid, that would be 25 minutes for just the shoes (times that by 6-8 transitions). Please send the right shoes!
Your child will need indoor running shoes that stay at school for gym and classroom safety, and outdoor shoes that suit the weather (that they wear to and from school).
5. School supplies
Unlike the older grades, kindergarten students don't have a personal desk to store their perfectly sharpened pencil set or personal stash of crayons in. What works best is a community approach to supplies. Everyone is welcome to use the class stash of pencils, crayons and markers. If you’d like to contribute, items like tissues, paper towels, and glue sticks (Elmer’s, please!) are always welcome and appreciated.
Most importantly, know that your child’s educators will support them as they grow in independence. We’ll open containers, talk them through washroom routines, and help with shoes until they’re ready to do it themselves. But with the right tools—easy-to-manage containers, the right sized backpack, spill-proof bottles, comfy clothes, and Velcro shoes—they’ll be able to gain confidence faster, feel successful sooner, and shine in their new classroom world as the capable human that they are.
Here’s to a wonderful start to kindergarten—for your child, and for you.
Educators, share any tips for setting up our littlest learns for independence and success in kindergarten that I missed in the comments. Parents, if you still have questions, ask them in the comments, too.
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