There's something truly magical about shopping for school supplies. My daughter Lotte and I practically skipped down the streets of our hometown Schijndel to HEMA, eagerly selecting items for her big transition from primary to secondary school. As a parent who's been through this ritual multiple times, I still love it—even if it's not for me anymore. Lotte shares my passion; despite group 8 not being over, she couldn't wait to start post-holiday shopping and bring her new treasures home.
Last week, we made our annual pilgrimage to HEMA, my longtime favorite for school essentials. I'm thrilled she still enjoys these outings with me before she ventures off with friends. We'll handle the big items together!
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On Lotte's introductory day, the school provided a detailed list of required items (excluding books, dictionaries, and atlases, which come from the main supplier). Surprisingly, no personal planner was needed—the school provides identical ones for all seventh graders to keep things fair and uniform. Lotte can still decorate hers to make it uniquely hers, which I fully support.
Here's the essential list we followed, perfect for your own shopping or online orders:
Lotte insisted on all-new items, including a fresh pencil case alongside the must-haves. Not strictly necessary, but it adds to the excitement.
Aside from the drawing folder and sports shoes (which we ordered), everything was available in-store at HEMA—even the compass matched perfectly!
HEMA excels with trendy, mix-and-match themes each year. This season features palm trees, plants, pastel colors, and jungle stickers. Lotte went for pastel pinks and mint greens—perfectly girly. Options like sleek black or natural brown appeal to me, but pastels won out for her.
HEMA has everything for customization: stamps, stickers, cover paper, sticky notes, and more. We're also using our Cricut machine to add bold subject labels directly on books for easy identification—far better than tiny stickers. More on that soon, after covering the books!
We capped the day with a lovely lunch before diving in. Have you stocked up on school supplies yet, or planning to order online? What gems have you discovered?
