With These After-School Essentials, You're Ready for Anything the Afternoon Throws Your Way

School’s out and your child wants something else in their ears besides the sounds of school bells, facts about parallelograms, and their gym teacher’s whistle. That’s where these super cool tie dye pastel earbuds by iScream come in. With a battery life of 2-3 hours and compatible with most Bluetooth enabled devices, these earbuds will make the commute home all the more enjoyable and musical.

Your kid loves drawing and art — but because they were taking notes all day and listening so intently, they had no time to doodle in their notebook! Now that school is over, Kid Made Modern’s On-The-Go Drawing Kit is perfect to help your child unleash their pent-up creativity. The 32-page book features partially complete drawings to get you started. Plus, you can keep everything neatly organized in the handy carrying case.

When it comes to “vegging out," different kids have different definitions of what helps them decompress. Some kids like to watch television while others like to lay on the grass and look up at the sky. As a kid, I had a hard time sitting still, so I spent lots of time doing puzzles. Sean Jackson’s Book of Mazes “From Here to There” features 50 colorful and detailed mazes of varying levels of complexity aimed at providing mindful activity for kids —it would’ve kept me mesmerized for ages! 

Just as your child finishes their after school snack and free time play, a beeping sound starts to ring out. What’s that? Oh it’s just the alarm from their super cool, totally customizable and funky fresh Paper watch telling them it’s time to get started on that homework!

Doing homework is a lonely affair. You spend hours in a room with books and highlighters and post-its and no one to talk to. Well, Ooly Monsters are not only the perfect companions for your pencil, their goofy and grinning faces are bound to make homework more fun. Plus, it’s proven that Ooly monsters are grammar experts! So they can definitely proofread your paper before you turn it in.

Did you know that Einstein got most of his solutions while he was on long walks? Sometimes relaxing your brain when struggling with a difficult problem is the best way to clear your head and gain some new insights. This set includes a looped string and an instruction booklet for 10 string games your kiddo can use to calm their mind. Side effects include inadvertently learning how to hypnotize people. 

Have you heard the legend of the illustrious substance that is not totally silly putty, not exactly crazy sand, and not quite a stress ball? It was foretold that a man named “Crazy Aaron” would bring this item to the masses and it would be the perfect toy to squeeze, stretch, and play with in between homework assignments, and bring to school to show off to all of your friends! 

A fidget toy for the ages, Tangle Jr. Fuzzies add a whole new level of fuzziness to sensory stimulation toys. These are perfect for helping your child ease their racing mind or just keeping themselves occupied.  

Did you know that memory foam pillows were actually invented for the sole purpose of helping children remember more while they read books and homework assignments on their bed? It’s true, I swear! And this memory foam pillow kicks up the comfort an extra notch with a hoodie attached to it so your whole head is comforted.

Headed to sports practice or drama club after school? Carry your gear in style with awesomely colorful, super-sturdy CAMP bags — there's a backpack with retro flair and a just-the-right-size duffel with a braided zipper pull.