Back to School: Everything You Need to Make It Fun and Easy

We caught up with Dotan, Stéphanie, Maayan and Lani of Oh My Cookies to discover what’s on their Back to School checklist.

Bags packed, shoes tied; no one is more excited by the thought of the school year than parents and kids. One household that’s especially excited is Dotan, Stéphanie, Maayan and Lani’s, better known as @ohmycookies_ on Instagram. With Maayan starting school this year, like any parent, Stéphanie has been researching the essentials they need for a seamless transition. From supportive school shoes to afternoon fun, we’ve rounded up their favourites and the staples that promise peace of mind.

When it comes to the essentials, comfort and durability are top of mind. For school shoes that go the distance, Stéphanie looks to brands like Clarks, Vans and Veja. Finding the right size for growing feet can be a challenge but David Jones’ team members are on hand instore to ensure they’ve got their perfect size. Whether it’s the playground or picture day, it’s important every school staple goes the distance. Set them up for adventures with the sun-smart swim and super comfortable socks and underwear they’ll love to wear.

Fun and functional, backpacks, lunch boxes and accessories are a moment to let their personalities shine. For Stéphanie, it’s all about the staples she knows both Maayan and Lani will wear with a big smile. With Lani’s love of unicorns, Skip Hop’s unicorn backpack is a firm favourite for her days spent at Kinder. Playful and bright, Stéphanie is also looking to Frank Green’s reusable bottles with a straw lid in bold colours to keep the kids hydrated all day long. As far as lunchbox winners go, Stéphanie’s opting for classic favourites like raw carrots, cucumber and capsicum as well as a serve of zucchini and leek quiche or banana muffins as a healthy treat.

After school is the perfect time for connection and Stéphanie loves a crafternoon with the kids. “We try to add learning into our craft activities as well as including them in everyday tasks such as cooking, gardening,” she says, “I am a big lover of the Montessori style of learning, we also have three languages at home so there are always new words to learn.” While screentime is limited at home ‘Reading Eggs’ has been another favourite of theirs. “Both Maayan and Lani have been using ‘reading eggs’ as a learning tool for the past 2 years and it has been amazing! I highly recommend parents to look into it, we only do 30 minutes of it every couple of days and that’s the only iPad interaction the kids have at home! They love it, and Maayan has learned to read by himself with it.”