Gift for Child Entering Kindegarten

A child sized tote bag with crayons, colored pencils, sketch pad, paints, brushes, etc. with perhaps age appropriate activity/coloring books.

Maybe a child sized tote bag with hair bows, ribbons, and bangles.

What are some of the things this kid might like and can it be stored in a small tote bag of her favorite color.

How about a cute lunch box or one of those really cool stainless steel thermos that they have out on the market now days. My son has one with whales and dolphins and my daughter has one that has pink pirate skulls. We usually fill them with water at home and they take it to school to sip from throughout the day while they are in class. Also, they have those Disney school supply sets with notebook paper, pencils, eraser and calculator which may be a fun thing to start kindergarten off with.

I think the book idea is great, something about kindergarten like Miss Bindergarten gets ready for kindergarten. Or a cute lunchbox with his favorite character on it.

I agree with the idea of a metal water bottle. We all need to stop using plastic, particularly the disposable water bottles that have unregulated water in them and which are transported from city to city using fossil fuels. Not to mention they are subjected to heat during transport and the plastic starts to break down.

Maybe also some reusable sandwich containers that can go in whatever lunch box the parents and child pick out. My stepdaughter's child just went thru kindergarten, and they did a whole unit on recycling. Now my "granddaughter" is all fired up about saving the earth, doesn't want to use baggies that go in the trash, and wants to reduce/reuse. So we got her some sandwich containers and snack boxes, some of which have a gel lid that goes in the fridge - keeps the food cold without her mom having to add one of those separate and somewhat heavy gel packs. There's a company call "Stay Fit" that makes those sandwich containers - you can buy them in the supermarket.

My granddaughter loves these! And they're helping my stepdaughter keep up with environmental issues in a simple way.

A pencil case is a good idea as well - maybe you can find out from the school what materials they will require - our town requires colored pencils as well as regular pencils.

Good luck!

I've given pencil cases that are either lightweight plastic that can be personalized for free (Belmont Ctr. Candy Shop has them) or even a fabric pencil case with a fun design. The soon-to-be kindergartener may want to pick out their own backpack and other school supplies may be required per school, so I would steer away from those items. I like the idea of the water bottle too - I just gave a solar system one to my daughter's playmate (he'll was turning 4) which I picked up at Whole Foods. Whatever you decide, they will be appreciative!!!

I like the ideas others have posted. A tote bag of some sort, maybe one you get from the craft store and customize w/ her name. A pin that she could wear on her jacket or backpack. A picture of your child and her in a small frame would be cute.

My daughter loves books so they wouldn't be boring to her (depends on the child).

lunch box? they have some fun,retro ones at Old Navy.

How about a Barnes & Noble gift card and some really cool pencils for school?

My kids LOVE school supplies. What about some cute, sparkly pens & notebooks, plus maybe markers or colored pencils? They love rulers too, for some reason. Even if she doesn't actually need this stuff for school, she can use them for writing practice at home.

If she has a common name, perhaps some school supplies or a water bottle with her name on it would be nice. If you can find a little mom and pop specialty toy store near you (Toodleloos?), chances are it carries some items with names on them. My kids were always thrilled to pull out some pencils or a pencil case with their name on them, especially in Kindergarten, and my school-age kids use their personalized water bottles every day, which we also got in a little toy store.