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The Best Kindergarten Backpacks

Kids at preschool enjoy having a backpack that looks good; while moms enjoy a backpack that is able to fit everything they need in it. These backpacks are superb as are able to fit in a folder, spare clothes and lunch. Having insulated lunch bags that can be attached to the backpack is a very innovative and really useful feature that has been added to preschool backpacks in recent years.

PictureNamePriceOur Rating
Stephen Joseph Girls 2-6X Sidekick Backpack$4.5

Gaorui Children Toddler Kid's Leather School Bag Animal/Fruit Cartoon Backpack (14 Designs)$3.6
Disney - Sofia the First - Little Princess Small Backpack$4.1
AmazonBasics Classic Backpack$4.9
Skip Hop Zoo Lunchie Insulated Lunch Bag$4.5
Skip Hop Zoo Pack Little Kid Backpack$4.7
Girl's Lovely Sweet Bowknot Canvas Backpack$4.1
Olive Kids Mermaids Pack 'n Snack$4.6
Sugarbooger Kiddie Play Back Pack$3.9
Wildkin Olive Kids Sidekick Backpack$4.6
Lassig 4Kids Mini Backpack$$$5.0
Green Sprouts Safari Friends Backpack$4.4
SugarBooger Zippee Backpack$4.0
PictureNamePriceOur Rating

The chart above is specifically designed for you to find the right backpack easily. Now you don’t need to go scrolling through hundreds of items to try and find the right one for you. Our chart gives you the product name, average customer review score and price. It’s everything you need to know in the one place.

Benefit Of A Great Kindergarten Backpack

Kids on first school dayEliminate the stressful morning rush by purchasing one of the best backpacks for a preschool child or child going to kindergarten. By choosing the backpack best suited to your needs, it will be;

  • Easy to clean. The backpack should be made from a material that will be easy to wipe down and keep clean, saving you the hassle of scrubbing the dirt out from it each day.
  • Value for money. Your child’s backpack will be such a favorite and so versatile, that you will be able to use it for Preschool, road trips, outings and sleep overs.
  • Lots of space. Being able to fit your child’s favorite toy, books and lunch in the one bag, means you are not left with multiple bags to drag around and ultimately have them getting lost in transit.
  • A time saver. As your child will love their backpack, they will be happy to help you get it ready in the morning, saving you time and energy during the morning rush.

A personal experience

I live with my eldest daughter and her two girls, aged three and eight. My daughter is dancer for a large musical stage show and is quite often up early for rehearsals and home late after performances. During those times, I look after the girls and get them ready for the day.

One day, my daughter was running late for rehearsal and couldn’t find her carry bag to put her under garments and makeup in. I told her there was an old backpack in the cupboard she could use. As she was getting that, I sorted out the girls for the day. I packed their lunches and books into their backpacks and made sure I sneaked in a chocolate bar for each of them.

Sara’s backpack is great for kindergarten. It has an outside pocket for her drink and two separate compartments for her lunch and her books. It’s fairly plain, but quite sturdy and lasts the distance. Sara had liked her original backpack so much that when it came to the new school year, my daughter had updated it with a new one and kept the old one as a spare. It was still in great condition, being made of quality material.

Unfortunately, the spare backpack my daughter had for the day and Sara’s backpack were identical. So when it came for all of us to leave, guess who got the flimsy undergarments to take for show and tell? Sara’s teacher was most horrified when Sara started pulling out lacy underclothes and had a hard time controlling the other children when they wanted to try everything on.

My poor daughter was devastated at rehearsal when she opened her backpack to find not only kid’s books, but forbidden chocolate as well!

Just remember, if you have two identical backpacks in the home, label them clearly in order to avoid embarrassing mix-ups!

What To Look For In Buying A Backpack For Kindergarten/Preschoolers

  • Design – Small children are happiest when they have their favorite animal, color, character around them. By purchasing a backpack which has a Disney character on it that you know your child adores, is sure to be a winner. They’ll be very happy to carry their backpack on their own each day.
  • Zippers – Small hands need to make sure they can open and close their backpacks easily. The zippers need to be strong enough that they last, but easy enough to pull on so that children are able to access their backpacks without help.
  • Compartments – There should be at least two compartments so that items can be separated. If the lunch leaks, you don’t want it going over books, toys or spare clothes. Having an outside compartment that will fit a lunch box or the capacity to attach a lunch bag to the backpack is a great idea.
  • Size and Weight – Your child is only small. Therefore, you need a backpack that is light weight and in relation to their height. If you’re unsure of how big it will be on your child, have a look at the product dimensions and take a towel of roughly the same size. Measure that against your child’s back to gauge the size.
  • Side Pocket – In Kindergarten, it can get difficult if your child has to rummage through their backpack to find a small item such as a toy for rest time or drink bottle after outside play. Make sure you have at least one outside pocket for those times.

How To Find The Best Kindergarten And Preschool Backpacks

  • Read Customer Reviews – Customer reviews are where I always start when I’m looking at buying a product. I begin reading the lowest star reviews first, because they are the worst reviews. I take note of the complaints. Though remember, some people are picky and will never be pleased. But if there is a common theme running throughout all the reviews (higher and lower rated stars) then you can probably bet that the problem is something that occurs regularly.
  • Browse the pictures – Especially when trying to find a backpack for your young child. Young children are more concerned about whether or not the backpack resembles a dinosaur, has a picture of Barbie on it or is the army green color. Show them pictures of a few different backpacks first, so that they can choose the designs they like. Then have a look at the features that concern you, such as height and weight and go from there.
  • Use our chart to compare – By being able to do a quick comparison of the top ten backpacks for Kindergarten and Preschool, you will save yourself time with searching. Pick your own top three from the list, then show them to your child, so that they can decide which design they like. If they don’t mind which one you choose, then focus on what you like in a backpack.
  • Focus on what’s important to you – Is your child’s love of tigers going to sway you in your purchasing, because you know that the tiger design is perfect for your child? Or is it the fact that this is a one off purchase, so you need to know it’s going to last? Whatever is important to you, focus on that factor first, then let the others fall into place in your purchasing.

A Review Of The Best Kindergarten And Preschool Backpacks

Stephen Joseph Girls 2-6X Sidekick Backpack

This backpack is really cute and often commented on by other moms at Kindergarten. We get quite a few compliments and I find that it holds the few things needed each day. It is lightweight, has adjustable straps and is quite sturdy. I also find the two mesh side pockets really handy for small drink bottles.

My neighbor purchased the same one but in the lady bug design. However, she finds it just that little bit too small. She also had problems with one of the zippers (which I didn’t) but her daughter tends to be a bit rougher than mine, which could be one of the reasons why.

Click here to look at prices on Amazon and find the best deal on this backpack.

Gaorui Leather Cartoon Backpack for Children Toddler – 14 Designs

This backpack I use for day trips to the zoo or the park as it’s quite small, (8.5 x 7 inches high) but good to carry small toys or food and a small drink in. My son picked the frog, but there are 13 other designs to choose from, suitable for boys or girls.

It’s functional, but the problem is that it tends to have a smell with it. I believe this could possibly be from the material used to make the bag. It does go away after a while, but as one of the cheaper back packs around I feel it’s okay, though best suited for toddlers rather than a school bag for children going to pre-school.

Click here to look at prices on Amazon and find the best deal on this backpack.

Disney – Sofia the First – Little Princess Small Backpack

This backpack is perfect for little toddlers who love Disney. It’s a great size (12 x 10 inches) and has a compartment on the outside as well as two small pockets on the sides. It’s lightweight and quite strong.

I find it works really well for my daughter going to Kindergarten and we are planning to take it with us when we go traveling next month. My daughter can use it as a toy and book bag, while I can use it as a diaper bag if I need to.

Click here to look at prices on Amazon and find the best deal on this backpack.

AmazonBasics Classic Backpack

I find I can be quite old fashioned, and tend to choose ‘plain’ back packs rather than fancy ones. I chose this one because it suited either a boy or girl. I have 3-year-old twins, so I bought two. There’s a range of different colors available, which made it easy to find two that were unique and appealed to both children.

It has a main compartment for their clothes and shoes and a smaller outside compartment. I actually found it useful for myself. I’m fairly small, so I could extend the straps enough so they fitted, and when I walked around the city, I found it useful to carry my purse, iPad mini and a snack. The small side compartment is a great spot to carry a bottle of water or a pen. Overall, it’s durable, it’s quite sturdy and very affordable.

Click here to look at prices on Amazon and find the best deal on this backpack.

Skip Hop Zoo Lunchies Insulated Lunch Bag

This cute zoo faced lunch bag makes for an excellent accessory for any backpack. The main compartment fits a tub of yoghurt, a sandwich and a box of juice. Inside the bag is a mesh pocket, which I put a soft ice pack (to keep the food and drinks really cold) or a spoon if it’s needed.

It can get dirty at times and isn’t the easiest to clean, but it’s not too bad. The best part about it is that the top handle clips on to any backpack, which saves space and lugging around an extra lunch box.

Click here to look at prices on Amazon and find the best deal on this lunch bag.

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