Getting your kids ready for school and shopping back-to-school supplies sales used to be a headache. You’d have to get in the car, drive to Staples, and hope they had the Mead 5-subject spiral notebook your child wanted otherwise you’d be on the end of a public temper tantrum.
Thanks to Amazon and all of the other online retailers, that’s no longer the case! You can click a few buttons online and have everything shipped to your home. We’ve made it even easier by compiling all of the common school supplies your kids will need below. We’ve sectioned everything by grade level so you can quickly find the appropriate school supplies and add them to your cart.
Go ahead and shop away!
Kindergarten School Supplies
Kindergartners are mostly need supplies that help them explore creativity. Since their coordination hasn’t fully developed, most of the supplies such as blunt-tipped scissors and wide-ruled paper is designed to give kindergartners a margin of safety during activities during their school days. Below we have captured the most common school supplies that are needed for kindergartners.
- Pencil box (amazon.com)
- Crayons (amazon.com)
- Colored pencils (amazon.com)
- Washable markers (amazon.com)
- Blunt-tipped scissors (amazon.com)
- Wide-ruled notebook or pad (amazon.com)
- Plastic folders (amazon.com)
- Tissues (amazon.com)
- No. 2 pencils (amazon.com)
- Assorted construction paper (amazon.com)
- Pencil sharpener (amazon.com)
- Erasers (amazon.com)
- Glue sticks (amazon.com)
- Backpack (amazon.com)
- Lunchbox or bag (amazon.com)
Elementary School: Grades 1-3 School Supplies
As first through third graders begin to develop more skills, their need for supplies increases. While a lot of the supplies are similar to those of kingergartners, the main additions include index cards and pens. This allows for more permanent writing methods and ways to quickly memorize facts.
- Pencil box (amazon.com)
- Crayons (amazon.com)
- Colored pencils (amazon.com)
- No. 2 pencils (amazon.com)
- Pencil sharpener (amazon.com)
- Ballpoint pens (amazon.com)
- Erasers (amazon.com)
- Glue sticks (amazon.com)
- Washable markers (amazon.com)
- Ruler (amazon.com)
- Blunt-tipped scissors (amazon.com)
- Plastic folders (amazon.com)
- Assorted construction paper (amazon.com)
- Wide-ruled notebook or pad (amazon.com)
- Index cards (amazon.com)
- Tissues (amazon.com)
- Backpack (amazon.com)
- Lunchbox or bag (amazon.com)
Elementary School: Grades 4-6 School Supplies
Once students have gotten to fourth through sixth grade, they are a little more mature and will begin to require some more advanced school supplies. Since they are also preparing for middle school, they need graph paper, organizational supplies (such as binders), and planners.
- Pencil pouch (amazon.com)
- Blue or black ballpoint pens (amazon.com)
- No. 2 pencils (amazon.com)
- Pencil sharpener (amazon.com)
- Highlighters (amazon.com)
- Washable markers (amazon.com)
- Loose-leaf paper or spiral notebooks (Wide Ruled) (amazon.com)
- Graph paper (amazon.com)
- Subject dividers (amazon.com)
- Index cards (amazon.com)
- Plastic folders (amazon.com)
- Glue (amazon.com)
- Erasers (amazon.com)
- Three-ring binder (amazon.com)
- Three-hole-punch (amazon.com)
- Ruler (amazon.com)
- Scissors (amazon.com)
- Calculator (amazon.com)
- Personal organizer/ planner (amazon.com)
- Book covers (amazon.com)
- Backpack (amazon.com)
- Lunchbox or bag (amazon.com)
Middle School School Supplies
Middle school is where students transition from kids to teenagers. Since middle school years are formative in a teenager’s life, the school supplies you buy will likely define your student’s status in the social hierarchy at school. They’ll likely need a lock for their locker. They will also need more advanced supplies for math classes such as a protractor and graphic calculator as well as college ruled notebook paper for essays.
- Pencil pouch (amazon.com)
- Blue or black ballpoint pens (amazon.com)
- No. 2 pencils (amazon.com)
- Pencil sharpener (amazon.com)
- Graph paper (amazon.com)
- Permanent markers (amazon.com)
- Erasers (amazon.com)
- Three-ring binder (amazon.com)
- Three-hole-punch (amazon.com)
- Loose-leaf paper or spiral notebooks (College-Ruled) (amazon.com)
- Ruler (amazon.com)
- Subject dividers (amazon.com)
- Index cards (amazon.com)
- Plastic folders (amazon.com)
- Glue (amazon.com)
- Highlighters (amazon.com)
- Post-Its (amazon.com)
- White-Out (amazon.com)
- Protractor (amazon.com)
- Scissors (amazon.com)
- Graphing calculator (amazon.com)
- Combination lock (amazon.com)
- Personal organizer/ planner (amazon.com)
- Book covers (amazon.com)
- Backpack (amazon.com)
- Lunchbox or bag (amazon.com)
High School School Supplies
High school prepares students for college so they likely will need a step up in their school supplies. They’ll be taking multiple classes with multiple teachers so organization is key. Many of the advanced classes will have their own list of required supplies which are teacher-dependent and you may need to buy textbooks as well.
- Pencil pouch (amazon.com)
- Blue or black ballpoint pens (amazon.com)
- No. 2 pencils (amazon.com)
- Pencil sharpener (amazon.com)
- Graph paper (amazon.com)
- Permanent markers (amazon.com)
- Erasers (amazon.com)
- Three-ring binder (amazon.com)
- Three-hole-punch (amazon.com)
- Loose-leaf paper or spiral notebooks (College-Ruled) (amazon.com)
- Ruler (amazon.com)
- Subject dividers (amazon.com)
- Index cards (amazon.com)
- Plastic folders (amazon.com)
- Glue (amazon.com)
- Highlighters (amazon.com)
- Post-Its (amazon.com)
- White-Out (amazon.com)
- Protractor (amazon.com)
- Scissors (amazon.com)
- Graphing calculator (amazon.com)
- Combination lock (amazon.com)
- Personal organizer/ planner (amazon.com)
- Book covers (amazon.com)
- Backpack (amazon.com)
- Lunchbox or bag (amazon.com)
College School Supplies
College supplies varies widely and is mostly depenent on the student’s preferences. We’ve listed some of the basic supplies that are common for new dorm life and college classroom life, but what you actually need will probably be defined by your student.
Academic Supplies
- Three-ring binder (amazon.com)
- Three-hole-punch (amazon.com)
- Loose-leaf paper or spiral notebooks (amazon.com)
- Tape (amazon.com)
- Graph paper (amazon.com)
- Subject dividers (amazon.com)
- Index cards (amazon.com)
- Blue or black ballpoint pens (amazon.com)
- Mechanical pencils (amazon.com)
- Permanent markers (amazon.com)
- Highlighters (amazon.com)
- Erasers (amazon.com)
- Pencil pouch (amazon.com)
- Plastic folders (amazon.com)
- Scissors (amazon.com)
- Stapler and staples (amazon.com)
- Post-Its (amazon.com)
- White-Out (amazon.com)
- Personal organizer/ planner (amazon.com)
Electronics
- Graphing calculator (amazon.com)
- Backpack (amazon.com)
- Headphones (amazon.com)
- Laptop (amazon.com)
- Printer (amazon.com)
- Computer paper (amazon.com)
- Ink cartridges (amazon.com)
Apps
Cleaning Supplies
- Swiffer (amazon.com)
- Trash bags (amazon.com)
- Air freshener (amazon.com)
- Disinfectant wipes (amazon.com)
- Laundry bag (amazon.com)
- Detergent (amazon.com)
- Fabric softener (amazon.com)
- Stain remover (amazon.com)
- Quarters for laundry
Dorm Furnishings
- Mattress cover (amazon.com)
- Mattress pad (amazon.com)
- Pillow (amazon.com)
- Twin XL sheet set (amazon.com)
- Twin XL comforter set (amazon.com)
- Bed risers (amazon.com)
- Full-length mirror (amazon.com)
- Plastic storage bins (amazon.com)
- Buildable racks and shelving (amazon.com)
- Mini Fridge (amazon.com)
- Futon (amazon.com)
- Closet organizer/shoe rack (amazon.com)
- Trash can (amazon.com)
- Desk and floor lamp (amazon.com)
- Fan (amazon.com)
- Extension cords (amazon.com)
- Alarm clock (amazon.com)