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There are some things that seem to come into existence fully formed, complete, and impossible to improve upon. Take the school notebook. Its actual form and functionality hasn’t changed in decades, if not longer. Spiral-bound, glue-bound, with or without inner flaps or pockets—these are minor variations on the platonic notebook essentials, which pretty much boil down to a cover with a bunch of papers stuck together in the middle.
Given that, it’s no wonder that kids gravitate toward the little details that make their notebooks fun and different, like colors, texture, and graphic design. And those small, vibrant add-ons are ways in which your kids get to express themselves in the classroom. We even would go so far to say that the right notebook in hand can help give your little one more confidence as they tackle the school year.
Ahead, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite planners, notebooks and more to add your family’s back to school shopping cart. And since this is pretty much the only appropriate time to judge a book by its cover, we’ll let the pictures do the talking here.