Here you’ll find a back to school checklist for parents (free printable PDF download) with everything you need to do for the school year. The list includes 7 categories, and each category is broken down into manageable tasks that you can cross off as you get them done:
- Schedule appointments
- Clothing inventory
- Backpacks, lunch boxes, and water bottles
- School supply shopping
- Paperwork, emails, and calendar
- Extracurricular activities
- Before the first day
In addition, with your download, you’ll get a list of back to school lunchbox ideas, a back to school routine planner, and an after school snack idea list.
Use the pink button below to download, or scroll down for lots of tips, links, and ideas:
Download the Back to School Checklist for Parents here
Back to School Checklist for Parents
Here’s the breakdown of everything to do before school starts:
1. Schedule appointments
This is at the top of the list because it’s the first thing for you to do. Schedule any appointments that you’ll need for the school year, especially physicals or vaccinations required for school or for fall sports.
- Call to schedule any physicals that will be needed.
- Schedule haircuts or visit the barber/hair salon.
- Schedule an appointment with the eye doctor, or other specialists your child sees regularly.
2. Clothing inventory
- Declutter drawers and closets: Remove clothes that don’t fit or are worn out.
- Make note of clothes that are still needed for the school year (including shoes and jackets)
- Shop online or schedule a day to shop for any clothes that are still needed.
- Put an extra outfit in a large ziplock bag and label with your child’s name for emergencies.
3. Backpacks, lunch boxes & water bottles
- Inventory and make note of what new items are needed for the school year.
- Wash backpacks, lunch bags, and water bottles that you can reuse in the fall.
- Order or shop for anything new that is needed.
- Label everything with your child’s name.
4. School supply shopping
- Print out school supply lists.
- Place order or schedule a day to shop for supplies.
- Label supplies with your child’s name, if appropriate.
- If you have multiple children, organize supplies into bags labeled with each child’s name.
5. Paperwork, emails, & the school calendar
- Create a folder specifically for school emails. Schedule a time to read and respond to these emails.
- Add school dates to your family calendar, including early dismissals, school closures, & evening activities.
- Designate a drop-zone for important/time-senstivie papers that will be coming home in backpacks.
- Discuss any days you will need childcare or you anticipate scheduling conflicts.
6. Extracurricular activities
- Put all practices, meetings, and games on your family calendar.
- Read and respond to any emails/messages that have been sent.
- Make a list of any equipment or supplies you will need. Shop online or schedule a date to shop.
- Sign up for snacks, volunteer hours, or other obligations/opportunities. Add to your family calendar.
- Set up any carpooling or transportation plans that will be needed.
7. Before the first day
- For young kids, practice putting on jackets, and opening and using lunch boxes and backpacks.
- Plan out first day of school outfits (or first week of school outfits)
- Plan lunches for the first week of school, and add supplies needed to your grocery list.
- Have kids pack backpacks, fill water bottles, and set them by the door ready to go!
Back to school lunch box ideas
Here you’ll find a printable checklist that you can use to plan out lunch box ideas. Or scroll down to see even more ideas!
Note: As an Amazon/Walmart Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
See a list of my favorite lunch boxes and supplies here.
Mains
- Alfredo chicken with veggies
- Bagel with cream cheese
- BLT
- Burger bowl
- Burrito
- Burrito bowl
- Caesar or cobb salad
- California rolls
- Cheese and crackers
- Cheesy rollup
- Chicken bacon ranch wrap
- Chicken caesar wrap: I use rotisserie chicken along with a chopped caesar salad kit
- Chicken nuggets
- Chicken salad croissants: I make chicken salad by chopping rotisserie chicken, celery, and a spoonful of mayo.
- Chicken salad, crackers
- Chipotle chicken
- Chips and bean dip: Layer refried beans mixed with taco seasoning, sour cream, guac, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese
- Crackers, meat and cheese
- Deli wrap
- English muffin
- Hard boiled egg
- Leftover pizza
- Meat and cheese kabobs
- Meat, cheese and crackers
- Meatball subs
- Mini sandwiches
- Muffins
- Naan bread pizza lunchable: I include naan dippers, pizza sauce, and cheese, and my kids can make their own pizzas
- Nachos
- Overnight oats
- Pancakes
- Pizza rollups
- Popcorn chicken
- Pretzel roll sandwich
- Pretzel roll sliders
- Quesadillas: Just fry a tortilla with some cheese and taco seasoning inside. Sometimes I also add rotisserie chicken, black beans, and/or corn
- Red bean bun: I buy these at our local international grocery store
- Salad with rotisserie chicken
- Soft pretzel bites
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Spinach pinwheels
- Sub roll sandwich
- Taco salad
- Taco soup
- Taquitos
- Toasted ravioli
- Turkey spinach pinwheels
- Waffles
- Yogurt parfaits
Fruits
- Apple chips
- Apples
- Applesauce
- Banana chips
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries
- Clementine
- Craisins
- Dried apricots
- Dried pineapple
- Dried mango
- Dried strawberries
- Freeze-dried strawberries
- Fruit salad
- Fruit strip
- Grapes
- Honeydew
- Kiwi
- Mandarin oranges
- Mango
- Nectarine
- Orange
- Peach
- Pear
- Pineapple
- Plum
- Raisins
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
Veggies
- Bean salad
- Broccoli
- Caprese salad
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cowboy caviar
- Cucumbers
- Edamame
- Kale chips
- Peppers
- Side salad
- Snap peas
Snacks
You can see an Amazon list of my favorite lunch box snacks here.
- Babybel cheese
- Baked chips
- Beef stick
- Belvita snack bites
- Bugles
- Cheese cubes
- Cheese stick
- Chex mix
- Chips and salsa
- Cookies
- Cottage cheese
- Crackers
- Dessert hummus
- Drizzilicious mini rice cakes
- Energy bites
- Graham crackers
- Granola bar
- Fruit bar
- Fruit gummies
- Goldfish crackers
- Jello
- Laughing cow cheese
- Mozzarella pearls
- Nuts
- Olives
- Overnight oats
- Oyster crackers
- Pickles
- Pirate’s booty
- Pita chips
- Popcorn
- Popcorners
- Pretzels
- Pudding
- Rice Krispy treat
- Roasted chick peas
- Salami
- Sun chips
- Sunflower seeds
- Veggie straws
- Yoggies
- Yogurt
- Yogurt covered raisins
Extras
- Black bean dip
- Hummus
- Ketchup
- French onion dip
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- Nutella
- Peanut butter
- Pesto
- Ranch dressing
- Salad dressing
- Salsa
- Soy sauce
- Syrup
Back to school routines
Here you’ll find a page that your kids can use to keep track of daily and weekly routines once the school year gets started, including:
- morning, after-school, and evening routines
- a reminder about what time they’ll need to leave in the morning
- a weekly schedule: this is perfect for writing down which days they have different specials of after-school activities on.
- a “don’t forget” section that they can look at on their way out of the door to make sure they have everything they need, including library book return day, and P.E. day when they need to be wearing sneakers.
After school snack ideas
Here you’ll find 30 different after-school snack ideas for kids:
Yogurt Parfaits
What you’ll need:
- Yogurt
- Fresh fruit: Strawberries, raspberries and/or blueberries, OR
- Frozen fruit: Strawberries, mango, and/or blueberries
- Toppings: Granola or a crushed Oreo
How to make it:
- Chop fruit into bite-sized pieces.
- Give each of your kids a yogurt cup and let them add whatever toppings they want.
Energy bites
What you’ll need:
- Old-fashioned oats
- Shredded coconut
- Peanut butter
- Ground flaxseed
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
How to make it:
- Follow the recipe for our favorite no-bake energy bites here
Rainbow fruit cups
What you’ll need:
- Strawberries, or another red fruit like raspberries, watermelon, or grapes
- Cantaloupe, or another orange fruit like oranges
- Pineapple, or another yellow fruit like mango or golden kiwi
- Honeydew, or another green fruit like kiwi or grapes
- Blueberries
- Blackberries, or another purple fruit like grapes
- Whipped cream
How to make it:
- Chop fruit into bite-sized pieces
- Layer fruit into a clear glass or bowl in rainbow order
- Top with whipped cream
Pretzels and hummus
What you’ll need:
These are my favorite pretzels and my favorite flavor of hummus, but there are lots of different flavors you can try out! Garlic or roasted red pepper are great, too.
Watermelon
What you’ll need:
That’s it!
Zucchini bread
What you’ll need:
- Flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated zucchini
How to make it:
- Follow the recipe for Zucchini bread here. (We leave out the walnuts.)
Fruit jello
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
- Chop strawberries
- Follow the directions on the box to make strawberry jello
- Before it sets, mix in the chopped strawberries
Tip: It doesn’t have to be strawberry jello and strawberries. Add any fruit you want!
Popcorn
What you’ll need:
Or pop your own and add your own toppings. Here are some fun ideas:
- Melted peanut butter
- Cinnamon sugar
- Caramel
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Ranch seasoning
Homemade popsicles
What you’ll need:
- Yogurt or juice
- Fruit
- Honey
- Vanilla
- Lemon juice
How to make it:
- Follow the recipe for fruit popsicles here
You’ll also need a popsicle mold:
Drizzilicious mini rice cakes
What you’ll need:
- Drizzilicious mini rice cakes: Our favorite is the birthday cake flavor
If you haven’t tried these yet, they are such a delicious and fun snack!
Frozen mango chunks
What you’ll need:
Buy these in the frozen fruit section. You can leave them out to thaw for a little while, or eat them cold.
My kids will eat these plain, or with some vanilla yogurt.
Yoggies
What you’ll need:
- Yoggies: the strawberry flavor is our favorite
Yoggies are one of our favorite snacks. They are yogurt-covered dried fruit. And they’re delicious!
Chocolate covered banana pops
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
- Follow the recipe for frozen chocolate banana pops here.
Basically freeze whole bananas, or banana pieces, and then dip them in chocolate and any other toppings you want. Yum!
Chips and guacamole
What you’ll need:
- Tortilla chips
- Avocados
- Garlic salt
- Lemon juice
How to make it:
- Smash peeled avocado with a fork
- Add garlic salt and lemon juice to taste
- Dip and enjoy!
You can also buy premade guacamole if you prefer.
Fruit kabobs
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
- Chop fruit, if needed
- Let your kids add whatever fruit they want to a skewer, for their own fruit kabob. (You can use whatever fruit you want. These are just some of our favorites.)
7 layer dip
What you’ll need:
- Refried beans
- Taco seasoning
- Sour cream
- Shredded lettuce
- Shredded cheese
- Cherry tomatoes
- Peppers
- Black olives
- Tortilla chips
- Avocados
How to make it:
- Mix a can of refried beans with a packet of taco seasoning. Spread in the bottom of a pan.
- Chop and layer the rest of the ingredients (except the tortilla chips) on top, depending on your preferences.
- Eat with tortilla chips
Frozen grapes
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
- Freeze and eat
With grapes, always beware of the choking hazard with little kiddos.
Fruit fries with dip
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
- Cut watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, and/or honeydew into long, thin shapes- about the size of a french fry.
- Follow the recipe for this super easy fruit dip recipe.
Tip: I love using our crinkle cutter to make them look even more like french fries.
Smoothies
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
- Follow the recipe to make our favorite: a frozen mango smoothie
Fresh cherries
What you’ll need:
Simple.
Ants on a log
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
- Spread peanut butter on celery stalks.
- Add raisins to be your “ants.”
Trail mix
What you’ll need:
- Packaged trail mix (Here’s one of our favorites) or make your own:
How to make it:
- Get a bunch of ingredients and let kids mix their favorites together. Here are a few ideas to include:
- Nuts: Peanuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios
- Dried fruit: Raisins, cherries, bananas, pineapple, cranberries, apples, apricots, blueberries
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Chocolate: MMs, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, Reeses Pieces
- Peanut butter chips
- Granola
- Pretzels
- Coconut flakes
- Chex
Cheese and crackers
What you’ll need:
Of course, there are many different cracker and cheese options to choose from. These are just 2 of our favorites.
Turkey spinach pinwheels
Ingredients:
How to make it:
- Spread cream cheese on tortillas
- Add Spinach and turkey
- Roll it up, then cut each roll into 6 “pinwheels”
Apple slices with peanut butter
What you’ll need:
Belvita Energy Snack Bites
What you’ll need:
- Belvita Energy Snack Bites: Blueberry is our favorite flavor
Blueberry muffins
What you’ll need:
Or, make your own with fresh blueberries!
Chips and salsa
What you’ll need:
Strawberry shortcake
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
- Follow the directions on the Bisquick box to make shortcakes
- Add sliced strawberries, milk, and/or whipped cream
Avocado toast
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
- Toast bread
- Layer sliced avocado on toast
- Sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning
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