ad. — this post contains gifted items, all opinions are my own.
My son starts Year One on 8th September, and I only really clocked how close that was a few days ago, the way a date sits in the calendar meaning nothing for months and then suddenly it’s right there. Reception came with all the fuss last year, the first-day photo, the nerves, the outfit we’d talked about for weeks beforehand. Year One’s just turned up, and somehow that’s caught me out worse than the whole performance of last September ever did.
Cue this week turning into a full-blown panic buy. Sports kit I hadn’t given a second thought since July. Lunch boxes replaced. Name labels ordered at gone eleven one night, because I’d left it right to the last minute again.
Underneath the scramble though, it’s funnily enough the fun bits that are actually sorted already, not the boring essentials, so here’s what we’ve got so far.
Beauty of Letters
Not every back to school bit has to be practical. Beauty of Letters (£22.50) by Tom Schamp is genuinely one of the loveliest alphabet books I’ve come across, every page completely stuffed with tiny details to spot, hidden characters, little visual jokes, the sort of book you can go back to over and over and still find something new.
The illustrations alone are worth the price, rich and detailed, the kind of pages you actually want to linger on rather than rush through. We’ve spent hours with our heads together over it, working out what’s hiding under each letter, which is exactly the sort of quiet time together I want more of before term starts. It’s the kind that works whether reading is still a bit of a novelty or already a favourite.
Parker Jotter Gold Trim Ballpoint Pen & Notebook Gift Set
Back to school isn’t just his reset, it’s mine as well. New term always makes me want my own desk sorted, and the Parker Jotter Gold Trim Ballpoint Pen & Notebook Gift Set (£26.99) has been a nice bit of that. It’s the classic Parker Jotter, stainless steel barrel, gold trim, that satisfying weight to it, paired with a lined notebook, and it all comes in a smart gift box rather than turning up in a flimsy bit of plastic. You can get it personalised too if you want it engraved. Not essential, obviously, but there’s something about a decent pen that makes we-mean-business September feel a bit more achievable.
STABILO woody 3-in-1
The STABILO woody 3-in-1 pencils do the job of a colouring pencil, a watercolour and a wax crayon all at once, chunky enough for smaller hands to grip, and the lead is thick enough that it holds up to actual use rather than snapping after five minutes.
STABILO point 88
The STABILO point 88 fineliners are the ones I keep pinching for myself, a fine 0.4mm tip, metal-enclosed so they don’t wear down and go blunt in a week, and they come in that recognisable orange and white striped design. Good for neat notes, colouring in detail, or just not drying out in the bottom of a pencil case for months at a time.
STABILO swing cool
The STABILO swing cool highlighters come in pastel shades this time rather than the usual neon, slim enough to actually fit in a pencil case without taking up all the room, and they can be left uncapped for a good four hours without drying out, handy given how often lids go missing in this house.
adidas Pixar Toy Story Backpack
The adidas Pixar Toy Story Backpack (£20) is the one actually heading to school with him. It’s a good size for the early school years, padded, adjustable straps so it’ll last more than one term’s growth spurt, and the Toy Story print alongside the adidas stripes has gone down well here. Practical enough for me, exciting enough for him, which is really all you can ask of a school bag.
Dex Language-Learning Camera
We’re screen-free here, so anything with a screen is normally a hard no before it’s even out of the box. Dex is the exception, it’s a handheld camera rather than a tablet, and my son takes photos of things around the garden while it teaches him the word for whatever he’s snapped, in whichever language you’ve set. It’s become our garden-and-walks tool rather than an everyday plaything, and it’s actually working at getting him outside more, which was the whole point.
At £186 it’s not exactly pocket money territory, but I went into much more detail on how it works, the privacy side and our full experience with it in my Dex Camera review, plus there’s a 10% discount code in there if you fancy trying one yourselves.
CGP Year 1 Activity Books
We started with the CGP summer holiday books, and my son loved them so much we’ve moved straight onto the Year 1 ones, to keep his mind ticking over and get him used to sitting down and doing a bit of work at home before term starts. The English Activity Book for Ages 5-6 (£4.25), the KS1 Maths Year 1 Targeted Question Book (£6.60) and the KS1 English Year 1 Reading Comprehension Book (£4.25) are the three we’re working through at the moment, colourful, not overwhelming, and short enough that he doesn’t lose interest halfway through.
The Children’s Meditations In My Heart
The Children’s Meditations In My Heart (£29.00) by bestselling Danish author Gitte Winter Graugaard is a collection of four guided bedtime meditations, written for parents to read aloud to their children. They’re built around self-esteem, self-love and emotional calmness, with the idea of helping children relax into a restorative sleep through a calm, connected bedtime routine.
What’s actually working for you and yours this back to school season? Let me know in the comments, I’m always after ideas for next year’s version of this list.