Towards the end of summer, we reach a point where we understand that summer is almost over and it’s time to start thinking about going back to school. Back-to-school shopping can be fun but also can be overwhelming depending on how much you need to buy and how much it costs. That is why you should look at the Dollar Tree school supplies that they have in stock.
Not only can you get deals for great back-to-school supplies you can also get great deals on items for your toddlers to preschoolers to work on at home. I’m a big supporter of having lots of opportunities for kids to learn whether experiencing out on the go or at home with fun workbooks and crafts to do.
For me, back-to-school supply shopping started when my kids were toddlers. I made sure to take advantage of all the great items to buy while on sale or while in the store.
Learning starts at home as well as reading and while you don’t need to buy tons of stuff to start teaching your kids, some items just make it easier and more enjoyable. Plus, you can start building your arts and crafts supply kit, corner, or station at home for your kids with cheap items from the Dollar Store.
Not all the school supplies at Dollar Tree are worth the cost in my opinion and some really aren’t good quality products
Clearly buying cheap items can sometimes be a gamble. It’s hard to know if an off-brand will compare to a good quality name-brand item. Therefore, who wants to waste money on that gamble? I know I personally would just pay the higher price at times because I didn’t want to waste my money if it wasn’t a good quality item.
That is why I will list some of the products that I have personally bought and items my sister, a schoolteacher, buys and recommends her students to buy at Dollar Tree. As well as, items she uses as a schoolteacher in her classroom.
On the other hand, I will also list some school supply items that you should buy elsewhere, and I will tell you why.
If you do shop at the Dollar Tree store already you know that not every Dollar Tree has the exact same item as some may differ just a little. But for the most part, they have a consistent basis on what they sell.
Seasonal items are in limited quantities so they may be out of stock of some items, and you might have to check out a few Dollar Trees for what you are wanting.
Dollar Tree does have a school/office supply aisle but with the back-to-school time, they will have additional items that they may not carry year-round. Those items may sell out fast as does most of their seasonal items do.
Don’t forget when you are shopping for classroom supplies that you look at all the sales going on. Sometimes the sales prices at Walmart will beat the prices here at Dollar Tree, especially now that prices have gone up to $1.25.
There are some basic items that all school kids will need and then of course there are those extra luxury items that some may want.
First Make a List of the Items Your Child Needs to Have and do an Inventory Check at Home
Sometimes your child will bring home items from the previous school year and have a full box of crayons, pencil colors, or other items that they can still use. Or maybe you want to keep those items at home to put in their at-home school supply area.
Make a checklist of the items needed so you can have your child help check off the school supply items as you buy them. Help them invest in the time, help in finding items, and purchasing the items.
Older kids can get a sense of pricing and money, so they know to take good care of their items. For younger kids, it can be simply fun to help you shop and it may build their excitement for school to start.
Basic Dollar Tree School Supplies Most School Kids Will Need
Writing Materials:
- Pencils – Good quality pencils that can hold up to test taking and note writing.
- Wooden – Dollar Tree has a package of 24 #2 pencils. Yes. They work just fine and are only $1.25.
- Most schools will recommend only the yellow #2 pencils.
- Don’t buy cute pencils with colored outside – stick with solid yellow. The colored ones seem to gunk up the sharpeners as my sister tells me.
- My kids love the Ticonderoga pencils but those won’t be found at Dollar Tree. They say they write well but so do a lot of other #2 pencils.
- Mechanical pencils – I do not recommend any of the mechanical pencils at the Dollar Tree. I haven’t found any that I like.
- If you are looking at mechanical pencils, it really will depend on if the teacher allows them and if your child can write with them easily. Some mechanical pencils even I have a hard time writing because I apply too much pressure and constantly break them. Look at how your child uses them and if they continue to break them then go to regular pencils.
- If you go the mechanical pencil route, I love the Paper mate sharp writer #2 pencils but those won’t be found at Dollar Tree.
- Wooden – Dollar Tree has a package of 24 #2 pencils. Yes. They work just fine and are only $1.25.
- Erasers – pink ones are usually the ones preferred by schools.
- Dollar Tree’s pink erasers work just fine and come in a 6 pack. Yes.
- If your child’s school doesn’t have a color preference the Inc. brand scented erasers are fun. These are great if your child needs that extra sensory input. The erasers do have a pleasant smell, not exactly as what the fruit is but a yummy fruity bubble gum flavor smell. They are flexible, which can be a pro or con, but they do erase well.
- My sister does not recommend the multi-colored erasers in the pack of 6 as she says they are too flimsy which makes it harder to erase.
- Jot’s end-of pencil erasers that come in a 40-pack work well. Yes.
- Dollar Tree’s pink erasers work just fine and come in a 6 pack. Yes.
- Pens – A good smooth writing pen can make all the difference.
- Inc R-2 pens are pretty good but can smear. The orange pens don’t look so great.
- A lot of the Inc. brand pens don’t have much ink in them, so they aren’t worth it. No.
- They do have some name-brand pens offered there. Such as Bic but I’m not a fan of those pens.
- Zebra pens do work well. Yes. I bought a 3-pack of purple, pink, and green. The color is great! They can smear if you touch the ink right away, so if you are careful, they work great. I love that they write smoothly. However, I don’t think 1 individual zebra pen is worth the price as I did see a lot of individual ones also.
- Highlighters – Great for highlighting text.
- Promarx Glowline highlighters are good. Yes. They all work well except for the purple ones. The pack with just yellow ones probably is the best for your money. If you want the other pack with multiple colors, just be aware that the purple doesn’t highlight the text, it pretty much just covers it up.
- Permanent markers – I usually go for the Sharpie brand.
- The Sharpie brand is great! Yes. Dollar Tree sometimes offers many different colors of Sharpies. And the price is good unless there is a sale going on elsewhere.
- Jot 4-pack permanent markers are good also. Yes.
- Markers – No. Most schools recommend having the Crayola brand markers. So those are best bought when on sale at Walmart or Target. Dollar Tree might have some but not in the amount in a box that is recommended.
- Pencil colors – No. These are usually required to be the Crayola brand for school. I do understand why since they do work better than most off-brand pencil colors. Sometimes Dollar Tree has Crayola brand, but the pack will be small and not have all the colors needed.
- Crayons – Crayola is the best brand for crayons as well.
- Dollar Tree does sell some packs of Crayola crayons but the count in the container is always less than what is recommended for school. If you can find a 24-pack, then yes it is worth it unless Walmart has theirs on sale!
- However, if you are buying them for home coloring then they do have many different types which can be fun for kids.
Paper Products:
- Spiral and composition notebooks – Yes these are great. Buy elsewhere if you have a cheap low back-to-school price.
- Loose-leaf paper – Yes. Unless shopping early and can get it cheap elsewhere.
- Sticky notes – Yes. My sister loves all the different-sized sticky notes and sticky note flags.
- Construction paper – Yes.
- Poster boards – Yes. The trifold ones if you can find them are great! So are the regular-size poster boards and they do have them in several different colors.
- Index cards – You need to know what size index cards are needed, color or plain white, and if they need to be ruled.
- Yes – Dollar Tree has a pack of 150 colored index cards: or a pack of white ruled index cards for $1.25.
- Worth it unless back-to-school sales are really cheap elsewhere.
Organizational Supplies:
- Folder with pockets – Yes. If the folder is sturdy enough. They do have different designs and different types to choose from. If they are very thin and flimsy, I would not buy them. And if they were on sale elsewhere for a cheaper price then I wouldn’t buy these.
- Pencil case, box, or zippered Pencil bag – Yes, these would work fine. If you do need a more heavy-duty one, then you might need to get it somewhere else.
- Binders – No. I came across some binders that would work okay but probably not great. Depending on what size you need they might have it. But with that said, make sure that you buy a good binder. The last thing any kid wants is to have their binder break and lose all their papers. So, I’d probably buy those elsewhere.
- Dividers – Index dividers – Write on dividers – If all you need is the index dividers with the small paper insert label then yes these will work. If you want the ones to write on, then look elsewhere.
- Calendars – YES! I love the calendars. They are of course cheap to buy, which is a big plus but they do have many different sizes and styles to choose from. They have some with the option of the full year or the full school year which would run into the next calendar year.
- Scheduler/Planners – Yes! I love their planners. You can buy a calendar/planner together and those are great.
- Any organizational containers or items to use at home – Yes. You can find some great quality organization containers that can help build your children’s at-home homework station.
Other Essential Items for Back To School:
- Glue sticks – Jot brand pack of 8 glue sticks, YES. These work just fine but are not worth the price if only a 4-pack. But first, check to see if glue sticks are on sale at Walmart during back-to-school sales.
- Scissors – The big Jot brand scissors, YES. My sister uses the big scissors in her classroom all the time and especially loves the Jot brand that has the softer inset where your thumb and fingers go. We haven’t tried the small kid’s scissors yet.
- Rulers – See through plastic rulers, YES. Dollar Tree has some good rulers, especially the see-through plastic ones.
- Calculators – Small Jot brand calculator, YES. The small calculators that the Dollar Tree has work just fine for simple math. In fact, my sister uses these in the classroom with her students.
- White out – Bic Cover-it Correction fluid white-out works well, YES. Stay clear of the pen and the tape, they don’t work as well.
- Pencil sharpener – Jot brand pencil sharpeners 3 pack with the container work really well. The Jot brand fish sharpeners 2 pack are fun for the kids and do work well too. YES. Stay away from the very small sharpeners 12 pack without a box or container that connects to it.
- Dry Erase markers – No. I do not recommend the Jot brand dry-erase markers. However, they do have a nice color that writes nicely, but the problem is with erasing it. When erasing the writing it left a blur of color instead of erasing completely. If you can find Expo brand dry-erase markers there then yes, get those.
- Tape – NO. Scotch brand is the best, but the rolls of Scotch brand tape have a lot less on the roll than on ones you would buy elsewhere.
And you can’t forget the fun or extra luxury items as some may call them. And those items that are a need for some kids.
Fun Dollar Tree School Supplies
- Smelly erasers, markers, crayons
- Fun pencil toppers
- Locker accessories
- Backpack key chains
- Fidget toys
- Pencil grip
A lot of those locker accessories and backpack key chain items can be fun. But also, some of those items listed above could really help a student out. For example, a child needing sensory input may benefit from having a smelly eraser to use their sense of smell while doing their work. Or maybe a fidget toy for a child that must have movement to be able to sit still and concentrate. And even a pencil grip for a student who needs it to write better and properly hold their pencil.
My son likes to use a fidget toy while studying at home. When listening to a lecture, or video, while reading, or studying, a fidget toy may be what you need to help concentrate on what you are learning.
As I said earlier, I do have a sister who is a teacher. As a result, she does use a lot of Dollar Tree items for her classroom to help keep her costs down. I will share some of those items down below.
Dollar Tree School Supplies for Teachers or Your Own Home Office
- File holder
- Clip Boards
- Magnets
- Magnetic clips to hold things on boards
- Key lock
- Paper clips
- Duct tape
- Rubber bands
- Envelopes
- Binder Clips
- Push pins
- Poster stickers
Additionally, as a parent, I love that Dollar Tree has cheap options to buy other school supplies that I can use at home.
Great Dollar Tree School Supplies for Home
- Workbooks
- Fun storage containers
- Clipboards
- Dry-erase boards
- Chalkboards
- Stickers
- Educational cards
- Manuscript tablets
- First day of school board
- Activity tray
- Supply caddy
- Fun calendars and monthly/weekly planners
- Journals
- Doodle pads
- Sand timer
Dollar Tree has great educational flashcards and workbooks
- Math
- counting
- addition
- subtraction
- multiplication
- Learning to read
- letters
- phonics
- Colors
- Shapes
As mentioned above, Dollar Tree has some beneficial items that can help you save money. Therefore, you just need to know which ones to buy. So, we have shared with you the Dollar Tree school supplies that we like, and think can be beneficial to you.
Undoubtedly, starting school with the right supplies will help start your child’s academic school year in a positive way.
If you have other items that you like at the Dollar Tree, then please share them with us.
Have some family fun while shopping with your family.
Finally, make the whole experience fun for your kids and help them get excited for their upcoming school year. Don’t forget about routines to help your child get ready for school. Check out my blogs on morning routine, bedtime routine, and after school routine. Starting the school year in a happy positive way will help ensure a great first day of school and hopefully continue the whole school year long.