The school year is a time filled with excitement, friendships, and hectic schedules. During these busy days, many students find themselves reaching into their backpack for anything they need throughout the day. A backpack filled with the correct essentials means a smoother school day and a happier student, so let’s take a look at what some of those essentials are.

Tissues

It’s no secret that schools are filled with sick students, especially during cold and flu season. Something as simple as a student rubbing their nose or eyes after opening a door could lead to contamination with germs and lead to an illness. An easy way to prevent this spread of illness is to keep tissues in the backpack. If a student needs to sneeze, blow their nose, or has watery eyes, this will prevent them from turning to their bare hand. Small tissue packs take up virtually no space in a backpack and can be found for a low cost at most stores and drug stores.

Hand Sanitizer

With all of those germs floating around the school environment, it’s important for students to keep clean hands. While traditional hand washing is the best method of keeping clean, sometime students don’t have time to run to the bathroom and wash their hands. Keeping a small bottle of hand sanitizer in a student’s backpack is a quick and easy way for them to disinfect and stay clean throughout the day. Ifyour student is younger, you can even purchase scented hand sanitizer or a bottle featuring a design to make it more fun for them to use the product.

Water

Water fountains are a breeding ground for bacteria, but hydration throughout the school day is very important to a student’s learning experience. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, lack of focus, and other symptoms that may interfere with the school day. Carrying a refillable water bottle in the backpack throughout the day is a great way for students to stay hydrated without using the germ filled drinking fountains. They can even refill the water bottle at the drinking fountain without risking putting their mouth close to the germs left from other students. Even if students aren’t allowed to drink water during class, they can take a few drinks in between classes. This is a great way to start a healthy habit of water drinking and proper hydration at a very young age.