What school supplies your kid needs for kindergarten

Getting your little one prepped and ready for their first day of kindergarten can seem like an enormous task. The good news is there's one thing you don't have to worry about for another year or so: school supplies.

Most kindergarteners don't need much when it comes to school supplies. So unless you already have a list from your child's teacher, you can steer clear of the back-to-school aisle before September (sorry to all those parents looking forward to buying all those cute supplies).

"Aside from a backpack, lunch bag, water bottle and indoor shoes, there isn't much else required," says Julie Morris, an early childhood educator in Peterborough, Ont.

If you buy shoes with laces, make sure your kid can tie her own shoes because the teacher won't have time to help 20 kids get ready before recess.

Snow pants will eventually be needed, but there's still plenty of time to get those. For now, focus on those main essentials (plus, a change of clothes in case there's an accident) and see what becomes necessary as the school year progresses.

Bonus Tip: Karen Jokinen, a kindergarten teacher in Markham, Ont. recommends a large knapsack, even if you have a little tyke. "Kindergarten kids always find the biggest book to borrow form the library," she says.

Read more: 4 things I wish I’d known about full-day kindergarten 20 secrets of kindergarten teachers