Tips and tricks to get kids ready (and excited!) to head back to school

(BPT) – With summer in full swing, and the coming school year fast approaching, it’s time to help students and parents trade in pool floaties for school backpacks! To get us started, Amazon teamed up with lifestyle expert and mom Erica Domesek to share her five top tips to rock the return to the classroom.1) Get crafty. Help your kids get excited for the new school year and show off their unique personalities by getting your craft on. Personalizing school supplies — from binders, to backpacks, to calculators — is an easy way to help students show up on the first day with confidence. All you need are stickers, markers, and appliques (you can find everything on Amazon!). I’m a big fan of DIY crafts, so my son and I customized his water bottle and lunchbox with stickers of his favorite things — dinosaurs and trucks — before he heads to his first day of preschool.2) Make your list and check it twice. As a busy parent, staying organized is a constant pursuit. I use Amazon’s Back to School shopping guide which helps me spend less time stressing over my shopping list and more time soaking in those last weeks of summer! You can even shop for items by grade, category, and your child’s favorite character.3) Show up in style. Tired of your kiddos saying they have “nothing” to wear? Take the stress out of first day outfit planning and use the weeks leading up to school to take stock of what clothes your kids have grown out of and what they need to be picture-day ready. Amazon is a one-stop destination for all fall fashion needs from head to toe with the added comfort of browsing together from the couch! Plus, Amazon Prime members enjoy free Same-Day Delivery on hundreds of thousands of items in over 90 major metropolitan areas, and free One-Day Delivery on more than 20 million items coast to coast. When your clothing items arrive, hold a fashion show at home to show off your new haul and make outfit planning a breeze.4) Liven up lunchtime. Make your child’s favorite unofficial subject — lunchtime — even more exciting by building a back-to-school menu. Taste test new combinations of their favorite ingredients and take the stress out of packing lunches and snacks with a school lunch calendar. Need some inspiration? You can ask Alexa for recipe ideas — simply ask, “Alexa, what should my family have for lunch?”5) Prepare for school and give back at the same time. With Amazon, it’s easy to give back to causes you care about while back-to-school shopping. Just head to smile.amazon.com to find the same shopping experience, and AmazonSmile will donate a portion of the eligible purchase price to a charity of your choice like schools, PTAs, and national organizations, at no extra cost.Visit amazon.com/backtoschool to find everything you need to get ready for the new year including crafting materials, back-to-school fashion, classroom essentials, and so much more.