Back to School Basics

Just when everybody is in the “summer groove,” it’s time to start thinking “back to school.” Can it really be time to go back to school already? If you live in either Florida or South Carolina, you get an early jump on the rest of the country. If your children are a little older, they start heading for college in mid August. As a parent, it can be as depressing for you as it is for your children.

Back to School isn’t just about getting new stuff. It’s a major shift in the daily lives for our families and children. The summer schedule that might have included six to eight hours of play a day is suddenly gone. Between eight hours of school and after school activities, dinner and homework, it’s a major adjustment for kids. Children are lucky if they get one hour a day for open-ended play. And as cooler weather approaches in some northern states and we reach the end of daylight savings time, the playground shifts indoors.

But just because kids are spending less time with their toys and games doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. What kids bring to school is often a statement of their personality and of their “cool factor” to schoolmates. Even the simplest items, like lunchboxes and backpacks, are packing additional fun with favorite characters. Don’t forget the basics—there’s nothing like a new box of crayons, new notebooks and great pencils to get kids in the mood for school.

This process can go smoothly, but for kids it can also be very difficult. It’s important for a parent to be understanding and help this transition of lifestyle and play go as smoothly as possible.

Some of the coolest school accessories for kids I’ve found for this fall are below:

Backpacks:

Bakugan Brawlers Game Leader Backpack

Dora the Explorer Hello Butterfly Backpack

Ben 10 Alien Force Race Against Time Backpack

Lunch Bags:

Transformers Bumblebee Lunch Bag

Hannah Montana Dual Compartment Lunch Kit

                                                                                                       – By Jim Silver

Jim Silver is recognized as
one of the preeminent experts in the toy, licensing, and family
entertainment industries. As editor-in-chief of family entertainment
website www.TimeToPlayMag.com,
Silver and his team provide adults with information on what’s fun for
children and their families, including toys, games and trends.



Silver
is also editor in chief of trade publications Royaltie$: The Journal of
the Licensing Industry and Toys & Family Entertainment at aNb
Media. You can follow him on Twitter.