This year is definitely one for the history books and our schools are having to adapt to keep our children safe. Preparing for this school year is going to require parents and teachers to innovate how they teach their children and practice new measures to stay safe. That means new and different school supplies will be required for both the classroom and at home. To help you plan  your shopping lists, we’ve identified some extra purchases you’ll need to make this year.

Items to Fight Germs

There are major concerns about the health and safety in school during the COVID-19 pandemic. If your children are going to be in the classroom in the fall, they are going to need some protective measures to protect themselves and others.

In many schools, masks are required. When getting your children masks, you should buy a mix of permanent and disposable masks for them. The permanent masks can keep them protected for a majority of time, but a few disposable masks at school are in case they sneeze or get the mask wet and want something clean and fresh.

You should also get your child their own personal supply of hand sanitizer. Likely, every school and classroom will have their own hand sanitizer to use, but it’s best for your child to have their own for the inevitable time the classroom runs out and your child comes back in from recess.

Computer Supplies for Online Learning

If your children aren’t going back into the classroom and instead learning remotely, you still need to buy school supplies for them. The difference is, you might not be buying pencils and paper, but instead buying items to make online learning smoother.

Depending on what your child’s school provides, some of these items might not be useful. First off, buy your child a computer mouse. Touchpads can be hard to use, especially if they have to click on a lot of things. You should also consider buying your children a headset with a microphone for video calls with their class. If you have multiple children doing online school, a headset could cut down on background noise, improve their voice quality, and make it easier for them to hear.

You might also want to check your internet speed and WiFi reach in your home. Video calls can take up a lot of bandwidth and slow down your speeds. Consider upgrading your internet if your speeds are slow, or get a WiFi extender if the signal doesn’t reach parts of your home.

Don’t Forget the Necessities

Just because there are extra things you need to buy doesn’t mean forget the basics. Even if your child is doing online learning, you’ll still need notebooks, pencils, markers, scissors, and similar items.

One way to save money if you have multiple children doing school at home is not buying each one their own supplies. Many supplies, like art tools, can be shared in the household and help keep costs low. Also, if you have some supplies at home already, like paper or pencils, you don’t need to buy new stuff.

Know Your School’s Rules and Limitations

Depending on your school, there might be extra rules that affect your child’s learning and experience. Some schools are no longer providing lunch or having kids eat in the cafeteria, others are limiting class sizes, others are cutting out certain activities or subjects.

These new rules can impact what you are buying for your child. If there is no lunch, you kid will need a lunch box and you’ll need to make sure they bring lunch everyday. If a certain classroom supply, like a pencil sharpener, is not allowed, your child will need their own. Be sure to fully understand your school’s rules and plan accordingly.

Budget Out Your Purchases

School supplies can get very pricey, especially if you have multiple children. The extra expenses caused by the pandemic like masks or computer supplies are adding to the total bill. You need to make sure you can afford everything before heading to the store.

Do some shopping around to get an idea what everything is going to cost you and take a look at your finances to budget it out. The average cost of back to school supplies is around $100 per child, which will likely be more this year. Before making your purchases, be sure you can afford it or make a plan on how to afford it. If you need help setting up a budget for this, or just one for general expenses, GreenPath Financial Wellness can help you.

If you are looking for a little bit of flexibility with your back to school shopping, a Pioneer VISA credit card is just what you need. This can give you extra time to pay off the back to school bill while still buying everything your child needs. Plus, you earn Rewards! points every time you use a Pioneer credit card you can redeem for things like gift cards, travel, and more!

Learn More About Pioneer Credit Card!