Are you getting ready to shop for those required back to school supplies? Here are 10 amazing back to school items for the highly sensitive child that you may want to add to your list. Everything I recommend on this list are products my HSCs personally own, use, or have used and LOVED!

Must have back to school items highly sensitive child
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10 Must-Have Back to School Items for the Highly Sensitive Child

For quick access, you can find all of these items in my Highly Sensitive Child storefront.

Daily Calendar

Highly sensitive children thrive on routine and knowing what to expect. Get them back into a predictable school routine with this daily magnetic calendar by Melissa & Doug. It helps provide information in an appealing visual way and gives kids a better sense of control over their day. I LOVE that there is a place to express their mood as well

Chewlery

While this does not apply to all highly sensitive kids, if your child chews or bites on things when they are anxious, this can be a great tool to have. My oldest would chew on his shirt collar until it was soaked. Someone had mentioned chewlery to me and it worked so well. There are all different styles for both sexes. but my boys like these. This shark tooth one is really cool for older boys. They even have a Lego type brick, Moana and Batman! My oldest has since outgrown his habit and stopped using his, but it helped him quite a bit at school when he was nervous.

Bento Box

If your child is sensitive to food textures or is just picky about what they eat, then a bento lunch box will be their (and your) best friend. My youngest has some trouble with soft and stringy textures, so typical school lunch items like a lunch meat sandwich on soft bread is out. I can usually accommodate his needs at home, but now that he will be starting kindergarten in a few weeks, I really had to put some thought into what I will pack him for lunch each day. At home, I have always given him a variety of things like beans, nuts, veggies, fruits, hummus, and whole wheat crackers for lunch, so a bento box, seemed to be the perfect solution.

I purchased the Rubbermaid Lunchblox kit recently. There are several different sections and everything clicks into an icepack to keep it cool until lunch!

Rubbermaid Blox

Straw Thermos

Alright, so you might be asking what a thermos with a straw has to do with the needs of a highly sensitive child, right? When my son was in occupational therapy for some sensory processing challenges, we learned a lot about the proprioceptive system and how proprioceptive input can be calming to those easily overstimulated by thermos sensory stimulation. Without getting into all the details, one of the things the OT recommended for my son was to bring a thermos to school that had a built in straw.

Drinking from a thermos that requires a sucking action can help calm the body, regulate behavior and help a child function better when working on tasks. Luckily most kids thermoses have a straw attached! We have used the Thermos Funtainer for the past 3 years and they even sell replacement straws for this brand when the original gets worn out or lost.

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My Book of Brave

Yes, I may be a bit biased about this one; however I created this journal based on my experience with highly sensitive, anxious children. This journal is meant for helping anxious children identify their fears and take control of them. Each page of My Book of Brave provides space to write down a situation from the child’s day and record it in a way that feels most comfortable, whether that be through coloring, writing, drawing, or all three.

There are 145 pages in the journal, each one consisting of a feelings chart that can be colored to identify how scary a situation felt, a lined section for writing and a blank box for drawing. Use this book as a journal or diary and track progress over time to see where anxiety has decreased and self-confidence has increased. For more information and a video about the product, you can visit My Book of Brave page on my blog.

My Book of Brave Image

Backpack clips

Backpack clips are really popular right now and they can serve two purposes for your HSC. Use it as a fun decoration to add to your backpack and then clip it off for a prop/comfort item during lunch and recess.

There are some really cute clips made by Ty called Beanie Boos. Squishie clips are popular too and can also double as good sensory input.

These aren’t just for girls though! At my sons’ school, I have seen everything from dinosaur clips, to Lego, to Minecraft and I can’t fail to mention the ever popular emojis. Great for whatever mood they are in and what boy doesn’t love a poop emoji!?!

A good back-to-school book

If your child is nervous about starting or going back to school, read a book with them about the first day of school to help ease their fears and start a discussion.

2 great picture books:

The Kissing Hand – A really sweet book for those children with separation anxiety. Chester the raccoon is nervous about starting school, so his mom shares a family secret to help him remember he is loved whenever he is scared.

First Day Jitters – A fun, relatable book about being nervous to start school. A surprise ending will help your child realize that everyone gets nervous sometimes.

first day jitters

2 Chapter Books for older kids:

Appleville Elementary #1: First Day – An early chapter book about a child who is nervous to start the first grade.

appleville first day

How to be Cool in the Third Grade – Another great chapter book for the slightly older child that deals with starting third grade.

Worry Eater

A variety of stuffed animal characters who like nothing more than feasting on children’s worries or nightmares…. um yes please!

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you probably know that we LOVE our Worry Eaters. These cuddly creatures are the perfect thing to help with those back to school fears.

Worry Eater Enno

My son with his Worry Eater, Enno

The worry eater‘s zipper mouth provides children with a safe place to share worries. Have your child write down their school worry and stick it in the stuffed animal’s mouth to eat that worry all up! This is a great snuggly tool for helping children share their worries and build confidence. My boys share their worries with me and we make a big deal of the worry eater chomping it away! My oldest took this into show-n-tell in kindergarten and it was HUGE hit with all the children. I had parents coming up to me the next day at pick up asking me where I got the worry eater, because their kids thought it was so cool. Worry Eaters come in all different styles and have two sizes- small and large. We have the large Enno.

In writing this article, I discovered that they now have Worry Eater key rings! This is perfect for school! You can add your worries to these little guys and take them to go. Instead of a functioning zipper mouth, it is held closed by Velcro. Have your child hook it on their backpack and it can serve as a worry eater, prop and fun decoration. Win, win, win!

An item to connect them to you

When my oldest son started kindergarten a few years ago, he was so nervous. Even though we had prepared him very well, he was still very anxious about the first day of school. We had a jar of these little flat marbles in our home that gave me an idea. I decided to take two out- one for him and one for me. I explained that on the first day he could put his in his pocket and I would put mine in my pocket. Then throughout the day, if he got lonely or nervous, he could put his hand in his pocket to hold his stone and know that I was thinking of him and loved him. I told him that I would do the same. He LOVED the idea.

Every morning for the first few weeks of school, we both made sure we had our stones in our pockets to keep us connected throughout the day. You could use a flat marble like us, a worry stone or even a inspirational bracelet you both wear.

A friend

Okay, so this isn’t exactly an item that you can pack up; however having a good friend by your HSC’s side will make the transition back to school go so much smoother. Help your child develop some friendships through one-on-one playdates/hangouts at your home. For more information on helping your HSC develop friendships with peers, check out my post, The Power of Play Dates for Anxious and Sensitive Kids.

Let the school year begin!

You now have 10 great ideas to make the back to school transition a little less worrisome and a lot more fun. Want to access them all in one convenient place for purchasing, check out my Highly Sensitive Child storefront.

What ones on this list interest your child? What are some of your back to school must haves for your sensitive child? Let me know in the comments below!