Top tips for getting Kindy & Prep ready

Getting kids Back to School ready can be stressful, so we've put together some tips we learned along the way with some of our top product picks!

From choosing your lunch box to labelling your Montii bits, check out our tips for getting kids ready for Kindy and Prep.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Practicing at home before the start of the school year is a great way to spot any unforeseen issues with your lunch box or bag, and anything you plan to pack inside!

If you’ll be packing any pre-packaged foods it’s a good idea to have your little ones practice opening these themselves.

In the few weeks before starting school, practice packing their lunch bags and school bag with them, and then go for a picnic! New school shoes? Get your little ones to wear them for a little while to get used to them.

BITE SIZED IS BEST

Often your little ones will eat less at school than they would at home - but be starving after school (doh!).

Most schools have 10-15min meal breaks and then it’s play time, so make sure that you’ve packed easy to eat, bite sized foods. You can use our range of Lunch Punch lunch accessories to make fun, bite sized sandwiches or pieces of fruit. 

EASY LUNCHBOXES

Make sure the lunch boxes you choose are easy for your little ones to open and close by themselves. Our top picks for younger kids are our bento two, three or fives.

Remember there are usually at least two meal breaks, so if they haven’t yet learnt to save some lunch for their second break it could be easier to pack two lunchboxes - one for each break.

Be sure to check out which lunch boxes fit in our lunch bags in our handy Lunch Bag Size Guide

NAME LABELS

You won’t believe how much stuff gets lost at school. We recommend checking out Cool 4 School for a cool range of custom vinyl labels to help make sure everything (eventually) makes its way back to you.

We love their Value Sheets - a whole A4 page of customised vinyl stickers in different shapes and sizes for labelling all sorts of items!

MUNCH & CRUNCH

Munch & Crunch, Crunch & Sip, Brain Break, whatever your school calls it, this is a scheduled healthy snack break. There are often rules about what can and can’t be packed so check with your school about their requirements.

Sometimes Munch & Crunch will need to be packed outside of the school bag and kept in a special spot within the classroom. When that’s the case, it's handy to have a MontiiCo Backpack that has 2 spacious side pockets. That way, a drink bottle can go in one pocket and a small snack box can go in the other!

If you want to keep their Munch & Crunch chilled our Mini Insulated Lunch Bags are the perfect solution! These come with a self contained gel ice pack to keep everything cold, and cutlery loops inside to store mini cutlery. They even have a clip handle to attach to the outside of a school bag for easy access!

STAY HYDRATED

It’s a good idea to check with the school if the kids have access to refill their water bottle. If they can and are able to, then our 350ml Bottles are the perfect size! Otherwise, if they’ll need water to last the whole day we recommend our 475ml Bottle plus sipper lid, which will keep water cool all day!

Don’t forget to add one of our coloured bumpers to their bottle for extra protection against drops, rubs and scuffs.

We'd love to hear your top tips for getting your kids Kindy & Prep ready!