You’ve done the hard work of finding and financing all those school supplies. Now take a few minutes to ensure you won’t be doing it all again in coming weeks.

At the right time with the right gear

They say that 80% of being successful in life is turning up at the right time with the right gear. You can help your kids with the “right gear” part of the equation by making sure that everything which heads to school is clearly labelled with their name.

Returned not replaced

Labelling gives kids’ belongings a fighting chance of being returned if they stray.

Kids lend things to friends, put them down on the bench while they’re chatting or drop them on the floor by accident. School is big and busy and it’s easy to get distracted. A pencil, pair of shoes or drink bottle without a name has almost no chance of being returned. Many of the school things will be identical to those of other kids, without labels your child won’t even be able to prove that drink bottle or pencil on the floor belongs to them.

Labels show kids that you value organisation

Taking the time to ensure everything your child takes to school is labelled demonstrates to kids that you place a lot of importance on them having the supplies they need.

It also reminds third parties that your child values their possessions and don’t want them to disappear!

Socks are not single-use, pencils and pens are not disposable and lunchboxes need to return daily to the kitchen.

Labels can be fun

Get the kids involved in choosing the colours, icons and fonts for their labels and they’ll get something they’ll be happy to have on all their belongings.

What labels are best for my pre-schooler?

Fun labels in their favourite colours and pictures are ideal for pre-schoolers

Labels work even if kids can’t read their name

Your child may not be reading, but they will know which are their belongings if they are labelled with a fun label specially printed for them. Pre-school, daycare and kindy can seem big and daunting to littlies, but familiar items with special labels can make things seem just a little bit more comfortable.

Lunchboxes and drink bottles

A big and bold label with a friendly picture such as That’s Mine Medium Stick Ons or Critters are ideal for lunch things. It’s a bonus if the child can recognise their things across the room and may mean those lunchboxes find their way home. The labels are dishwasher-proof and waterproof which means they’ll last all year.

If your child has started playing sports, these stick ons are also great for shin pads, hockey sticks or tennis rackets and even boogie boards or ski equipment.

Clothing

Nothing can beat That’s Mine iron on labels for staying stuck on clothing! Once properly applied they will last through washing and drying machines and can’t be pulled off. You can put them on hats, jumpers, dresses, pants, shirts, socks, undies, swimming costumes and towels. Quick and easy to apply, these can save you a fortune in lost property.

Kindy Bags

Bag tags are the go here! Let your child choose a favourite picture and then put one of our stick ons on the back. Makes it easy for your child or their teacher to find the right bag, especially when bags can look alike – also helpful when grandparents or others are picking up too.

Shoes

They are expensive to buy and it takes time to get them properly fitted, so it pays to ensure they stay around until your child has grown out of them. A colourful stick on with a special That’s Mine Shoe Overlay will protect the label and keep it in place.

Toys and smaller belongings

It’s worth getting some labels in a smaller size that you can quickly stick on other possessions your child might take in to Kindy. A pack of Tiny Labels or Mini Sizeables in a bright colour are ideal to stick on stationery or small toys such as matchbox cars or dolls.

What labels are best for Primary School Aged Kids?

Lunch things and sport equipment

Bigger things need bigger labels and a brightly coloured, medium sized label is ideal for lunchboxes, drink bottles, sports equipment, and larger stationery items such as rulers.

Primary school-aged kids will enjoy choosing favourite colours and playing with different fonts on the label preview but they may want a more mature-looking icon. The “Hands Off” Stick On Labels have some icons for older kids, or they may enjoy some of the icons in the Sizeables or Squares labels. Some kids like just their name on their labels and they can choose this option on almost all our labels.

School Clothes

Kitting a primary schooler out for a school year is an expensive business and you’ll want to ensure those clothes stick around for the whole year.

It’s not just hats or jumpers that get lost – when kids do swimming lessons or get changed for sport anything from socks to shirts can disappear. (Or if they head to a friend’s house for a swim after school.) And don’t forget infrequently worn items such as painting smocks and raincoats. When applied properly, That’s Mine Iron Ons will survive both washing machines and dryers and last long enough to pass down to all the siblings. They’re also tricky to get off, meaning your kids’ clothes are less likely to be stolen or walk off by themselves…

The primary school years are when the school camps start too – it’s worth taking a few minutes to label all the clothing going along. It’s not just the annoyance of losing things and having to replace them; your child will suffer if their hat, warm jumper or beach towel goes AWOL in the middle of a school trip.

Shoes

A pack of Shoe Overlays can inexpensively transform our regular stick on labels into shoe labels and save your sanity also. Shoes possibly win the prize for most expensive/hardest to replace/most easily lost items so we recommend labelling every pair of shoes they own.

Stationery

The primary school years are the big ones for many school supplies – whether it be glue sticks or coloured pencils. Your child needs the right equipment to perform their best in class and this is the best way to keep things from roaming from pencil cases. Either the clear Pencil Labels or the coloured Tiny Labels will do the job on this one and they’re easy enough to apply so the kids can stick them all on.

What labels are best for Teenagers?

Teens have plenty of expensive school equipment and they are just as likely to lose things as the younger kids. They may not like anything that draws too much attention to themselves, so a simple label in a colour and a font they like is probably best. Sizeable Labels have a great selection of on trend fonts – they can play around to find one that fits their name – or they may prefer the classic look of Adult Labels.

Other understated looks that appeal to teens are the streamlined look of clear labels, or a smaller label such as a Mini Sizeable or a Tiny Label.

Pencil Labels are ideal for stationery – and at an age when friends will be borrowing each others’ possessions frequently – labelling laptop chargers and similar can be a great help.

Teenagers who are reluctant to label school equipment may also see the benefit in labelling their things if it keeps siblings from claiming them. If unlabeled things are assumed as there for the whole family to share, teenagers may become very enthusiastic about getting their name on all their stuff!

When all the kids in the family are getting bigger, labelling the socks for each person can help with sorting washing as well as working out which miscreant keeps leaving their socks in the living room…

School Subject Labels

As kids become more serious about study, it’s worth setting up systems to support them. A set of attractive School Subject Labels can help them to feel just that bit more organised and proud of their notes, which can help make study time a bit more enjoyable.