Best Family Gifts and Products

winter!

Clementines. Our school requires that snacks be fruits or veggies "in their own skin" (so, no applesauce), and while we often rotate through different fruits depending on what the kids are into at the time, clementines are my favorite because they are easy to grab and go with no effort (plus, sweet and tasty!). Though most are easy enough for kids to peel, when the kids were younger I sometimes pulled up an end of the peel for them to make it even easier.

Regular string cheese or Babybel® brand cheese transports well inside the backpack. Maybe include some wheat crackers, too?

Z Bars

Homemade trail mix. Super easy to mix a kid's favorite snacks together and easy to leave ingredients out if your child has nut allergies.

Swimming lessons

Special behind-the-scene museum/zoo/aquarium adventures or animal encounters. (E.g., shark feeding, penguin painting, etc.)

museum membership

Zoo membership

My boys pick out their clothes the night before, and always check what the weather will be like to plan for it, as well as if they have gym or not. It makes getting dressed in the morning much easier!

The kids are responsible for getting their backpacks ready before going to bed, and making sure they have all their homework, books, permission slips, etc in there, and that it is zipped up and ready to just grab and go in the morning. We sometimes need to remind them to do this, but as it becomes part of the nighttime routine it gets easier and easier!

I have my son put out his clothes for the next day the night before it makes it quicker in the morning to get ready for school.

Prepare lunches the night before. I have a fruit bowl and baskets with healthy snacks, so the kids can help prepare their lunches, too. If they help with preparation, they're more likely to eat it, too.