Back-to-School Survival Kits

Making back-to-school survival kits are the perfect opportunity for you to connect with the families in your ministry as they head back to school. A Back-to-School Survival Kit can be a great opportunity to provide families with simple ways to connect with God and each other!

The point of the survival kit is to provide families with items they’ll need to “survive” the school year. You can include a spiritual element like this free customizable calendar, this Back to School Prayer Journal for Kids, or this full Back to School Survival Kit that includes a family devotional and the list of ideas below.

You can also include physical items that offer practical help and encouragement. Here are some ideas for packing and distributing your Back-to-School Survival Kits!

What do I pack the Back to School Survival Kits in?

• Colorful gift bags (Or these gift bags with rainbow scratch paper! You could customize each one with a note or the child’s name!)
• Plastic party favor bags
• Cardboard boxes/treat boxes like these
• Small backpacks or drawstring bags
• Colorful Tote bags (these would be great for families to use throughout the year!)
• Basket or bucket
• Pencil cases or pencil boxes

How do I distribute the Back to School Survival Kits?

• Drive-By: Have families drive by your church to pick up their kit.
• Drop-Off: Do a dropoff to their doorsteps! This allows for a personal touch and a special surprise for families. If you have too many kids to do this yourself, this is a great task to delegate to some of your volunteers and small group leaders.
• Sunday Distribution: Distribute these kits to families as they leave your Sunday service.
• Pro Tip: Have families register in advance to receive a Survival Kit so you know exactly how many you’ll need.

Consider including at least one item (budget permitting) from each of the following categories:

1) School Supplies (Check your local school supply lists too!)

• Pencils or Pens (include this free prayer pencil printable for a special touch!)
• Crayons, Markers or other Coloring Supplies
• Colorful Journals, Composition Books, or Sticky Note Notepads
• Scissors
• Glue or glue sticks
• Headphones
• Fun Erasers
• If you’re looking for a cute printable to include in your Back-to-School Survival Kit that relates to each school supply, check out this blog post from Vanessa Myers! 

2) School Snacks

• Granola Bars
• Breakfast Bars
• Fruit Cups
• Pretzels or Goldfish
• Raisins
• Applesauce Pouches
• Cereal (Mini boxes would be so fun!)
• Popcorn
• Fruit Snacks
• Vouchers for the School Cafeteria or even a small gift card for a local favorite restaurant (We’re including Chick-fil-a coupons in ours, and Chick-fil-a gave them to us for free!)
• $5-$10 grocery store gift card (with a note – “Pick out your favorite school snack!)

3) Parent Pick-Me-Up
Parents need lots of help to get through this back-to-school season too! Let them know you’re thinking about them by including one of the following items with a little note that says: “We want to help you survive too, Mom/Dad/Grown-ups!”:

• Free Coffee Voucher (Check with local coffee shops or chains – sometimes they’ll give these out for free to non-profits!)
• Coffee Gift Card
• Chocolate Bar
• Individually Packaged Tea Bags
• Cheap Reusable Travel Mug (add your church or ministry logo!)
• Handwritten Card

Most of these ideas come from our Back to School Survival Kit, which includes full details on putting together a kit for your families as they head back to school. This Back to School Survival Kit includes a devotional & calendar, as well as the guidance you need to help families survive the uncertainty of the school year ahead! Download the full resource here.

Find even more back-to-school ideas and resources for your ministry here.