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Still looking for affordable school supplies for the 2020 school year? Same, girl.
So, I know this post is kind of late as many schools have already re-opened and/or you’ve started homeschool or online school already.
Or maybe you’re just not a huge procrastinator like me.
School doesn’t officially start until Sept. 8th here this year. We normally go back at the end of August, but the district pushed it back so that they could get organized and prepared for all of the restrictions and safety measures.
We decided to do virtual learning for right now until we can feel absolutely certain that it’s safe for Harper to go back to in-person learning.
That being said, instead of shopping for new school clothes and backpacks, we are shopping for homeschool supplies.
I do a lot of my shopping on Amazon, so of course, that’s where I turned first when I started looking around for Harper’s homeschool supplies.
I ended up finding a ton of really great things, so I figured I would round them up for anyone still shopping for this school year!
Whether you’re doing homeschool, online, in-person, or a hybrid of those- there’s something on this list for everyone, and everything is super affordable!
The items on my back to school supply list are useful + practical + affordable. I am not including things like pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. because those are on every back to school supply list everywhere.
I wanted to share some of the more obscure things that I think will be really helpful for kids this year, as well as parents.
Regardless of what decision you made about school this year, nothing about this school year is ‘normal’ for any of us.
So I really tried to include unique supplies on this list, that you might not have thought you needed.
I also didn’t want to spend too much money on school supplies this year, considering that I’m not 100% certain yet what online school will be like.
So I decided that I would spend a little more on getting her a nice desk + chair, and creating an organized, quiet and calming space for her to do her work.
I’ve also included some products on here for anyone whose kids are headed back for in-person learning, such as my favorite face masks + shields, sanitizers, etc.
Hopefully, you find some great, useful and affordable school supplies on this list!
Top Affordable School Supplies for 2020
Workbooks + Learning Resources
(most of these listed are for ages 6-8, but are available for older kids as well)
SchoolZone Big First Grade Workbook
SchoolZone Addition & Subtraction Workbook
SchoolZone Time, Money & Fractions
Scholastic Success Reading Comprehension
Lower Case Sight Words Flash Cards
Ultimate Homeschool Ideas Book (love this one!)
Desk Organization
3-Tier Rolling Cart (so cute + perfect for school books + other supplies)
Stay-n-Play Children’s Balance Ball (seriously amazing!)
Colorful Storage Center (holds 3oz hand sanitizers)
Caddy Classrom Supply Holders (set of 4, 16 compartments, colorful)
LED Desk Lamp with USB (and phone + pen holder too!)
Bamboo Rotating Art Supply Organizer
Safety + Sanitization
For anyone whose children are headed back to school in-person, or anyone who just wants to keep their kids extra safe when they leave the house- I rounded up my favorite COVID supplies for kids here!
VIROSHIELD All-Natural Sanitizers + More
I love, love these products. VIROSHIELD carries hand sanitizers, disinfectants, face shields, bug repellent, hand + body wash, etc. that are all NATURAL. How amazing is that?
They have a back to school bundle for only $23 that includes a hand sanitizer spray, a hand + body wash and a hand + surface disinfectant spray.
From their website: “With a combination of Cinnamon, Clove, Orange, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Lemon, Tea Tree and Thyme oils, this blend of eight essential oils each have a powerhouse effect when used together to help the body naturally. Products also contain pure-grade alcohol for enhanced cleansing.”
You can also order very affordable face shield hats, which I find are more comfortable for children sometimes than a face mask. Especially for long hours at school.
SubZero Masks
I love these masks, and they’re super cute- but more importantly, for every mask they sell, they give one to an at-risk individual in great need.
I know that masks are not fashion statements but after so many months of having to wear them, why not grab some fun ones? I think especially for kids it can be hard enough having to wear the mask in the first place, so giving them some masks that they actually like is a great way to entice them to actually wear them!
SubZero masks are great because they come in adult + kid sizes, are CDC compliant and they are giving back to those in need which is something I love in a company.
The kids’ masks come in really fun designs, like unicorns, outer space, peace signs, and animal faces. They also have adjustable straps & you can add an extra filter option for added protection!
Custom Face Masks from Mask Market
Again, I know face masks are not fashion statements. But I love these custom face masks from Mask Market, and if you have pre-teens or teens in your house, I’m betting they’ll love them too.
You can let your kids design their own mask online, and it ships in 1-3 days so even if they’ve already started school you can still grab them a cool custom mask and have it shipped quickly to your door.
They also give back, donating 1 mask for every mask sold. So far they’ve donated over 43,000 masks and counting. How amazing is that?
I know I said I wasn’t going to include things like pencils, pens, notebooks… on this list. But I decided it might be useful to include a ‘don’t forget it’ list, for any scatterbrained parents out there like myself.
Well, I hope you found this list helpful! I tried to include the best, most practical, and affordable school supplies for this particular year. I know that things are difficult for everyone right now regarding back to school.
Most of us agonized for weeks or months over what decision we would make and waiting for our schools/government to provide some kind of guidance.
Everything might be different this year, but I think if we go into it with an open mind and remember not to be too hard on ourselves when we make mistakes (because I know I’m about to make 283 mistakes with virtual learning!)- then we will all be okay.
XO, M
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