Trendsetters’ Top Back to School Gifts

When the long summer days come to a close, the daunting prospect of preparing kids for a new school year starts to play on the minds of most parents.

Fortunately, help is at hand – top experts and trendsetters have taken their pick of the best back to school goodies so that mums and dads can send the kids off with the coolest children’s toys and school accessories.

Everything in this list of toys has been vetted by an independent, expert panel of journalists, entrepreneurs and trendsetters, to make ’back to school’ season a pleasure rather than a chore. All of the gift ideas listed below can be found online and in the shops.

Here are some of the most sought after school season children’s toys around, including some exciting educational toys, to give parents a few new ideas to keep the kids happy.

Novelty Children’s Toys:

For making the holiday to school switch a bit easier to take for parents and kids, some light-hearted fun toys for the back to school season.

- Getting the little ones up and ready for breakfast is no mean feat but with their own novelty mugs with slogans like ‘Silly Sausage’ and ‘Cheeky Monkey’, kids can feel grown up at the table and ready to start the day. If you take a look around there is plenty of choice when it comes to novelty mugs for kids, and they will love to have one all to themselves!

- Kids can start time keeping with a starter watch with interchangeable ribbon straps – they will never be late for class and can learn to count the hours until home time. These watches are also a huge hit in the playground.

- For the school run, a Car Valet Travel Bag comes complete with an inbuilt writing/drawing/you-name-it tray and plenty of space for crayons and paper for any last minute school project adjustments.

- Rainy breaks in the playground are a great chance for kids to show off their artistic skills with the Paint-Your-Own Wellies.

Educational Toys:

For parents who want to make learning fun so it won’t stop when they get home from school.

- Science is fun with a Chemistry Set, containing a full set of test tubes, beakers and over 115 safe experiments to practice at home or for the biologists a Living Desert Windowsill Garden, Cress Head or Mr McGregor’s Garden Bucket to learn how things grow.

- Parents can get budding geographers excited about our planet with a Giant Wall Atlas complete with 181 Velcro felt country names, buildings, animals and figures in national costume.

And for the grown-ups:

These items are great for looking after the kids when they get home from school and need a bit of home comfort!

- When the kids get home, parents can display their collages, paintings and school work on a ‘Clip Clock’ – a fun new accessory for the kitchen or living room.

- Parents can reward all that hard work at school with homemade cakes for tea – with a set of the most desirable cake tins and mixing bowls, baking can be a real pleasure.