Eek, can you believe that it’s almost time for school to start again?! I’m sure you have been slowly getting things ready like we have. We’ve got our first day of school printable ready and of course we have started our back to school shopping!

Let’s face it though, back to school clothes shopping can be boring for the kids. They don’t like it and then it makes us get stressed out.  But guess what? It doesn’t have to be stressful, really! In fact, there are ways to make Back to School Shopping Fun for the Whole Family.

Recently the hubby and I took the kids to Queensborough Landing to do some of our back-to-school shopping. It was pretty smooth sailing and we ended up with some great school gear.

Most importantly, we kept the kids happy while shopping, without any electronic devices and we even got them to help us with the shopping. So of course, I have to share my tips with you.

Tips to make back to school shopping fun for everyone

1. Make a game plan
Chat with the kids ahead of time and make a game plan. Decide how long you will go shopping for so everyone knows. Then make a list of the stores you want to go to so that there is no time wasted.

For us, we visited the Queensborough Landing website  ahead of time and decided to do the kid’s back-to-school shopping at Gap Factory, Carters OshKosh, The Children’s Place, Walmart and Payless. (With maybe one or two more stops for mom & dad 🙂  )

2. Figure out the kids sizes
In each store, just make the kids try on one shirt and a pair of pants to check for sizes. When you know what size works for them, then you can just pick outfits based on that. It keeps fitting room drama to the minimum.

3. Mix and match game
Get the kids to play a game in the store by mixing and matching clothing. Get them to look through their section, each kid finding three tops and three bottoms that will mix and match with each other. It was actually really fun for our kids when they did it. They came to us with some nice stuff and it also  lets them make some decisions as to what they like for their own style.

4. Re-energize
At the halfway point, reenergize. Sit down, eat a snack or a meal. It gives the whole family a little break before getting back to the rest of your back-to-school shopping.

5. Promise a fun activity at the end
If the kids start getting restless or a bit antsy, promise them a fun activity or treat at the end of back to school shopping. (Sometimes a little bribery can go a long way!)
We hit the Marble Slab Creamery at Queensborough landing which is always a favorite for my kids.

6. Get a little treat for mom and dad
After all that back to school shopping for the kids, mom and dad deserve a little treat too, don’t you think? I got to a few new accessories and the hubby came home with some much needed dress shoes!

Now that you have some tips and ideas to make back to school shopping more fun for the whole family, put them to good use.  If you have any tried and true tips for shopping with kids, please tell me in the comments.

Good luck and happy shopping!

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*This post was sponsored by Queensborough Landing. As always, all opinions are my own.