How many t-shirts does your child lose a year? How many school jumpers, jackets, water bottles, lunchboxes? In schools up and down the country there are boxes and boxes of lot property, hundreds of items that have gone astray, been left behind, dropped or simply forgotten. And an equal number of parents asking that eternal question, how can I stop my child losing his stuff?!
There really is no getting away from it. Kids are notorious for losing things at school. Jumpers used as goal posts then left on the school field or playground, water bottles taken to another room and left behind, lunchboxes put on the wrong table or trolley and never seen again, pencil cases full of prized possessions that seem to disappear into the ether.
Frustrating as it is, do remember that losing things is not your child's fault. After all, there are far more interesting and important things for them to be thinking about. But, with our bank accounts in mind, just how can we stop children mislaying their belongings? And save ourselves pounds in the process!
Here are six ways you can help your children to stop losing their possessions.
Label clothes
Use fun, brightly coloured iron-on labels to make sure everything your child owns is clearly labelled. We love these high quality iron in labels which are available in a variety of sizes, making them ideal for everything from gloves and pencil cases to coats and jumpers. They even have one small enough to iron on to the labels of their favourite teddies and cuddly toys, so no more sleepless nights without their beloved friend.
We love the bright colours, fun designs and choice of fonts, which makes them perfect for any child's tastes and preferences. Simply choose your child's favourite colours and characters, peel off one of the labels, top with baking paper (included in your delivery), and use a hot iron to make it stick. Easy to use, long-lasting and wash-proof, they'll help you keep track of everything at school, Beavers, friends' houses, after school clubs, swimming, and anywhere else your child goes.
Have a place for everything
At home have a place where book bags go, a place where water bottles and lunchboxes go, books, pencil cases etc. Ask your child, and their teacher, about places in the classroom. Where do hats, coats and gloves go in winter? Where do lunchboxes go? Having clear guidelines for both home and school, your child will get into a routine of knowing what goes where and hopefully not losing anything.
Ask them
If children keep losing things, ask them what the solution could be. Get them involved in making decisions about what goes to school and where it goes. Are they simply taking too many things?When they lose something ask them to tell you about their day, retracing their steps until they remember where they left the item. Then ask what they could do differently tomorrow to make sure it doesn't get left behind again.
Get them involved
As with most aspects of parenting (and life), the more your child feels involved in the process, the more effective it is likely to be. Ask them to sit down with you and choose their favourite combination of name label stickers from the Raw Labels website. They stick to almost all surfaces and are hardwearing and resistant to being put through the dishwasher, microwaved or put in the fridge.
With millions of potential combinations of background colour, icon and font, as well as three different sizes, you can get labels for everything your child owns, and at great prices. Our girls were delighted with their stickers and have been liberally plastering them on everything they own! They use strong adhesive, making these stickers the perfect way to keep track of water bottles, notebooks, toys and more.
Have a checklist
Make a picture chart of the things your child needs every morning and place it above their school bag, in their bedroom, or by the breakfast table so they can consistently get into a routine of gathering everything they need. Another one next to their coat peg or in their bag at school might help with collecting all the things they need to bring home - no more mouldy lunchbags!
Look together
Be proactive by checking through your child's belongings every afternoon or evening, that way you can chase up any losses quickly. If your child does lose something, ask them to think back through their day to remember where they may have left things. The next day go together to look in the lost property box. Ask the school where all the boxes are as there are likely to be several in different areas or classrooms. It's quite possible that your Year 1's plimsoll is in the Year 6 box!
After you have checked the boxes, check all the cloakroom and changing areas. Repeat a week and two or three weeks later as, if something went to the wrong home, it may take a while to come back again. Ask your child's teacher to ask in class and send a note or e-mail to the school office telling them what you have lost and asking them to look out for it, too.
Label them!
At the end of the day, things are just things. When you are heading out and about this summer, on busy days out to theme parks, festivals, parks and museums, as well as off on holiday, there is one thing you really don't want to lose. Get a couple of these brilliant reusable wristbands for the peace of mind that your child can easily be returned to you if they happen to wander off or get lost in the crowd. They're great for school trips too, maybe you could recommend them at your next PTA meeting?
Available in a variety of designs, such as knights, sharks, bunnies and unicorns, there is one for every child. We love the new football designs too, perfect for supporting your favourite teams this World Cup season! The wristbands are reusable and waterproof, so they can be used again and again, even for swimming lessons or days on the beach or at the pool.
Raw Labels offers a wide range of iron on labels, stickers and reusable wristbands. Available in a wide variety of designs, including football, princesses, butterflies, vehicles and many more, using these labels on your child's belongings - and themselves - to make sure nothing, and no-one, gets lost. Prices start at just £3.50, and there is free shipping too!
There really is no getting away from it. Kids are notorious for losing things at school. Jumpers used as goal posts then left on the school field or playground, water bottles taken to another room and left behind, lunchboxes put on the wrong table or trolley and never seen again, pencil cases full of prized possessions that seem to disappear into the ether.
Frustrating as it is, do remember that losing things is not your child's fault. After all, there are far more interesting and important things for them to be thinking about. But, with our bank accounts in mind, just how can we stop children mislaying their belongings? And save ourselves pounds in the process!
Here are six ways you can help your children to stop losing their possessions.
Label clothes
Use fun, brightly coloured iron-on labels to make sure everything your child owns is clearly labelled. We love these high quality iron in labels which are available in a variety of sizes, making them ideal for everything from gloves and pencil cases to coats and jumpers. They even have one small enough to iron on to the labels of their favourite teddies and cuddly toys, so no more sleepless nights without their beloved friend.
We love the bright colours, fun designs and choice of fonts, which makes them perfect for any child's tastes and preferences. Simply choose your child's favourite colours and characters, peel off one of the labels, top with baking paper (included in your delivery), and use a hot iron to make it stick. Easy to use, long-lasting and wash-proof, they'll help you keep track of everything at school, Beavers, friends' houses, after school clubs, swimming, and anywhere else your child goes.
Have a place for everything
At home have a place where book bags go, a place where water bottles and lunchboxes go, books, pencil cases etc. Ask your child, and their teacher, about places in the classroom. Where do hats, coats and gloves go in winter? Where do lunchboxes go? Having clear guidelines for both home and school, your child will get into a routine of knowing what goes where and hopefully not losing anything.
Ask them
If children keep losing things, ask them what the solution could be. Get them involved in making decisions about what goes to school and where it goes. Are they simply taking too many things?When they lose something ask them to tell you about their day, retracing their steps until they remember where they left the item. Then ask what they could do differently tomorrow to make sure it doesn't get left behind again.
Get them involved
As with most aspects of parenting (and life), the more your child feels involved in the process, the more effective it is likely to be. Ask them to sit down with you and choose their favourite combination of name label stickers from the Raw Labels website. They stick to almost all surfaces and are hardwearing and resistant to being put through the dishwasher, microwaved or put in the fridge.
With millions of potential combinations of background colour, icon and font, as well as three different sizes, you can get labels for everything your child owns, and at great prices. Our girls were delighted with their stickers and have been liberally plastering them on everything they own! They use strong adhesive, making these stickers the perfect way to keep track of water bottles, notebooks, toys and more.
Have a checklist
Make a picture chart of the things your child needs every morning and place it above their school bag, in their bedroom, or by the breakfast table so they can consistently get into a routine of gathering everything they need. Another one next to their coat peg or in their bag at school might help with collecting all the things they need to bring home - no more mouldy lunchbags!
Look together
Be proactive by checking through your child's belongings every afternoon or evening, that way you can chase up any losses quickly. If your child does lose something, ask them to think back through their day to remember where they may have left things. The next day go together to look in the lost property box. Ask the school where all the boxes are as there are likely to be several in different areas or classrooms. It's quite possible that your Year 1's plimsoll is in the Year 6 box!
After you have checked the boxes, check all the cloakroom and changing areas. Repeat a week and two or three weeks later as, if something went to the wrong home, it may take a while to come back again. Ask your child's teacher to ask in class and send a note or e-mail to the school office telling them what you have lost and asking them to look out for it, too.
Label them!
At the end of the day, things are just things. When you are heading out and about this summer, on busy days out to theme parks, festivals, parks and museums, as well as off on holiday, there is one thing you really don't want to lose. Get a couple of these brilliant reusable wristbands for the peace of mind that your child can easily be returned to you if they happen to wander off or get lost in the crowd. They're great for school trips too, maybe you could recommend them at your next PTA meeting?
Available in a variety of designs, such as knights, sharks, bunnies and unicorns, there is one for every child. We love the new football designs too, perfect for supporting your favourite teams this World Cup season! The wristbands are reusable and waterproof, so they can be used again and again, even for swimming lessons or days on the beach or at the pool.
Raw Labels offers a wide range of iron on labels, stickers and reusable wristbands. Available in a wide variety of designs, including football, princesses, butterflies, vehicles and many more, using these labels on your child's belongings - and themselves - to make sure nothing, and no-one, gets lost. Prices start at just £3.50, and there is free shipping too!
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