Emily Reviews writers were sent products in exchange for being included in our back to school gift guide. There are affiliate links in this post. All opinions are our own.
While back to school shopping often is focused more on school supplies, I thought Juggling the Issues: Living With Asperger’s Syndrome was a book that made sense to include in this gift guide. For kids on the spectrum or with any diagnosis or sympoms that leave them feeling “different”, it may be reassuring to read these short stories from someone who has unique struggles but also unique strengths! It can help highlight how different usually is just different, not really better or worse overall. For kids who don’t have these struggles themselves, it can help encourage empathy and understanding.
Give them a daily dose of inspiration with this set of creative and fun wall art posters. 22 posters will help keep them focused on achieving their goals. The posters are shipped in a carton (not rolled in a tube), so they arrive flat. Super convenient and easy to mount on the wall. Posters feature double sided matte lamination and are printed on high quality thick stock with for added durability. One side in color and one side in black and white make for a total of 44 options. Perfect for a child’s room, office, dorm room, classroom or wherever location needs a little extra inspiration.
Susie the School Mouse from FoothillToy Co may seriously be the sweetest way to get kids ready for school! She is especially perfect for kiddos who are heading off to kindergarten for the first time or for children who might need a little encouragement heading back to school after the freedom of summer break. FoothillToy Co designs high-quality, low tech toys that inspire creative thinking and self-expression through open-ended play. Every Matchbox Mice option comes in their own reusable matchbox with coordinating accessories to encourage hours of imaginative play. Susie the Schoolhouse Mouse playset contains a stuffed animal in a soft fabric outfit, a removable backpack, an eraser pillow, a notebook paper sleeping bag, and a colorful marker blanket.
Crosley’s mission is to bring analog music to the masses with the Voyager three-speed turntable. The clean, vintage-inspired aesthetic fits into any space (think a college dorm room!), while the lightweight design allows this record player to travel “further than anyone, or anything in history.” Spin 33 1/3, 45, or 78 RPM records or launch the built-in Bluetooth receiver to transmit your digital music wirelessly through the turntable’s stereo speakers. Discover the RCA outputs on the back that allow you to easily plug into your existing solar music system or bigger speakers to add propulsion to any party. Drop the needle on a reissue of the golden record, probe the adjustable pitch control knob to dial in the speed and prepare for blast off! Available in 11 colors.
Don’t forget socks when shopping for school clothes! I’ve know Goldtoe for their high quality dress socks and adult socks for years…I didn’t realize they also made fun socks for kids! This six pack of girls socks add a sense of fun and personality to your feet! I think any kid would prefer these over plain white socks! They’re available in girls small to large. GoldToe also offers socks for boys, including athletic socks if you have any young athletes in the family.
Help students start the school year on the right foot with the Casio fx-9750GIII Calculator. This advanced graphing calculator will create a seamless learning experience for high school students and beyond by leveraging a natural display feature, which allows for 2D-templates for fractions, roots and other functions to appear on the screen as they are written in the textbook. Students can create, save, edit and run Python files, as well as import and export these files with streamlined computer connectivity. With user-friendly capabilities including an improved keypad for fractions, standard-to-decimal conversion and scientific notation, as well as expanded menu options for programs and capabilities including Exam Mode, Spreadsheet, Python, Probability Simulator, Geometry and Physium, the fx-9750GIII will help bring mathematics to life this school year! It’s also approved for the SAT®, PSAT®, ACT®, and AP® tests, and includes Exam Mode™ to lock specific functionality for testing purposes.
Threadsy is a website that sells clothing basics like solid color t-shirts, v-necks and sweatshirts at incredibly affordable prices. You don’t have to buy in bulk to get a great price, either. The shirt shown above is $4.94 and it’s one of the more expensive ones listed on he front page when looking at their youth t-shirts category. They have lots under $3 a piece! For comparison, earlier today I was at Sam’s Club and their basic t-shirts were $6.95. If you have a kid who is into hydro-dipping their clothes, tie-dyeing (yes, it’s back in style!) or who likes clothes customized with Cricut, Threadsy is a great place to get shirts to use. They sell lots of brands including well-known ones like Hanes, Gildan and Fruit Of The Loom. They have regular cotton shirts, 50/50 blends, athletic shirts and more. hey have sizes for babies up through adults plus sizes. The prices are really impressive.
Loop is a brand that makes noise-reducing earplugs in a few different styles. If you have a child who experiences overstimulation in crowded places or who struggles with focusing, these may help. Loop earplugs come with multiple ear tips so you can customize them to fit your ears perfectly. The plug looks like a ring as it sets in your ear, and there is a hole in the center. Loop has a few styles depending on how much noise reduction you prefer. Loop Quiet earplugs are designed to muffle most sounds, but don’t completely stop noises so you’ll still be able to hear alarms, for example. These might be great for studying in a noisy area. Loop Experience earplugs are designed to let you hear everything, just at a lower volume. These can be worn most anywhere, to just take the edge off the noise level making them great for reducing overstimulation.
Goldtoe cotton socks are an awesome staple. I’ve purchased a range of GoldToe men’s socks over the years and have always been happy with the quality for the price. I’ve noticed that many of the teens in my extended family prefer black socks over white socks. If you have a kid who prefers black socks, GoldToe offers their regular socks (quarter, ankle, invisible and crew) in both black and white.
The book provides guidance on how to approach specific topics related to:
family, such as unemployment, divorce, and incarceration
illness and death, such as loss of an unborn child, major illness in a child, and death of a pet
social issues, such as racism, family structures, and gender fluidity
upheaval and violence, such as natural disaster, terror events, and school shootings
Whether you’re looking for a treat to put into your kiddo’s lunchbox or searching for the perfect back to school teacher gift, MilkBoy Switzerland chocolate gift box is a great choice. Each order contains 5 individually wrapped 3.5-ounce bars of gourmet Swiss chocolate for sharing, gift-giving, or enjoying all to yourself. The flavors included are: Alpine Milk Chocolate, Alpine Milk Chocolate with Crunchy Caramel & Sea Salt, Extra Dark 85% Cocoa, White Chocolate with Bourbon Vanilla, and Alpine Milk Chocolate with Roasted Almonds. Made with natural, best quality ingredients and combined with the finest-quality cocoa beans from some of the world’s best and sustainable sources; this decadent milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate will leave you craving more!
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
I’ve never heard of Threadsy. I will definitely look into them. You can’t beat those prices that you mentioned. T-shirts and socks are some of the basics that most of us buy when back to school shopping. Anywhere you can save on something is helpful.
This is a really unique and cool back to school gift guide, thank you so much for sharing! Susie the School Mouse from Foothill Toy Co is so cute, and all of my kids would love to get one of these adorable animals. I also always go with Casio when it comes to calculators, they have been around forever and make the best!
Peggy Nunn
Mia E.
Leela
Lauryn R
Donna
I’ve never heard of Threadsy. I will definitely look into them. You can’t beat those prices that you mentioned. T-shirts and socks are some of the basics that most of us buy when back to school shopping. Anywhere you can save on something is helpful.