Name stickers can help prevent your child from losing items at school, help them put on their shoes, and more. Find out about Reasons To Use Name Stickers At School, and the sticker company Name Bubbles, in this post.
For more school-related content, check out all of our back-to-school posts.
We are deep into the school year, which means there’s a good chance your child has lost at least one shirt, a cup, or a toy. Or all three. Unfortunately it happens.
The worst part, though, is the cost of replacing everything. If only there was a way you could help your child keep track of what’s his or hers.
Enter name labels. They’re the perfect solution. Stick your child’s name all over their school stuff and there’s a better chance of them coming home with it.
For this post, we specifically stayed with ways that you could use these for school-related needs. Yes, you can use name labels for a ton of other reasons, but we wanted to really focus in this post. Also, these tips are really good for young children, but some of these tips work for older kids too.
Be ready for back to school this year with all of our Back To School Tips.
10 Reasons To Use Name Stickers At School
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Before we get to where to use labels, let’s actually talk about the stickers themselves. We’re referring to waterproof stickers with your child’s name on them, like you can purchase at Name Bubbles.
There are a ton of choices at Name Bubbles, like personalized name labels with just your child’s name, ones where you can add phone numbers, and more. There are also a bunch of unique designs, so if your child is into animals or sports, you can pick a label that fits their personality.
And then, there are different sizes. So you can put a smaller label on smaller school items, like cups, and larger labels on items like tablets. And, if you have a lot of school supplies to label, Name Bubbles sells value packs, so you can make sure you have enough labels for all your kids’ items.
Michelle and I were talking about these recently and she said that her second son’s daycare required them on his cup and plate. Three years of daily washing later, the sticker in still in place.
This year, she used masking tape and a Sharpie marker to frugally add his name to his water bottle … and that’s falling apart after less than three months. So she’s going to replace it three times this year.
Of course, though, if you need to remove the stickers, they’re easily removable and don’t leave any sticky residue behind.
Now, on to the reasons to use them.
Easier to keep track of items in school
You’re the one buying all school supplies, not your child. So do they know exactly which plate you sent to school for snack time? No. Probably not. Especially if the set is one of the new items you bought for the new school year.
If your child’s name is on the back, they can easily recognize that sticker and can assure that they’re always using their plate or cup, not their classmate’s items.
It’s more sanitary
Let’s be honest. We all went through a few years where we thought about germs and sanitation a lot more frequently than we used to. There are some good practices we should keep from that time … like keeping our germs to ourselves and letting our friends keep their own germs.
If things like water bottles are labeled with your child’s name, there’s a better chance of just him drinking out of it. If it’s not labeled, his friend may claim it as theirs and start drinking out of it.
And if that child is sick, it’s gonna come home to your family.
Less chance of stealing
Stealing is not the best word here. But, young kids don’t really understand ownership all that well. If they see something they like when they’re at school, they’ll try to take it home.
If it comes home, the parent will send it back to school. But then that puts the onus on the teacher to remember whose it was. And if it’s a new toy, it could be a mystery.
But, if it has a name label on it, the teacher (or parent) can easily return it to you (or your child).
Purchasing stickers is easier than making tags
You know that meme that’s like “Why would I spend $10 to buy something when I can spend $98 on craft supplies to make it?” Apply that logic here.
Sure. You could make your own name tags. If you have a vinyl cutting machine, you could cut your kid’s name out a bunch of times. Or you could use a label maker.
But do you have a vinyl cutting machine? Do you have vinyl? Or do you have a label maker? Do you have label tape? And really, the most important question, do you have a lot of time to make labels?
If the answer to those questions is no, then just go ahead and order sticker labels. Put them on at the beginning of the year and that’s it. Labeling your kids’ stuff is done.
They stay better than homemade tags
Things like lunch boxes are getting thrown in and out of your child’s backpack day after day. And those homemade stickers aren’t going to hold up, especially if your child isn’t gentle.
So you’ll be replacing those homemade stickers quite often.
So think of all the time you’ll save and the headaches you’ll never feel when you label everything once and then never again.
They’re good for name recognition
If your child is young, sticker labels are a great way for them to learn name recognition. Maybe your child doesn’t know their letters yet and maybe he doesn’t know how to spell.
But, if he’s always looking for his cup with his name on it, he’ll start to recognize it.
Maybe at first, he’ll only start to recognize the soccer ball on the label. But eventually, he’ll start recognizing the letters. So actually, these are pretty educational.
The name won’t wear off
Name stickers made from a vinyl cutting machine eventually wear out from getting wet and touched over and over. And suddenly BRYAN is RYAN and that gets confusing, especially when there’s a Ryan in the class.
Now, think about how many times your kid is filling up a water bottle at a fountain. Or how often they’re carrying it around by the actual bottle, where it’s labeled, not the handle.
All that wear can change the sticker and the name. That won’t happen with a name sticker because it’s printed directly onto the sticker itself so there’s no chance of losing just one letter.
It’s easier to find your bottle at sports
If your child plays any after school sports, you know that famous orange and green water bottle. Almost every kid has to have it because it’s the cool one.
But you know what the trouble is with that? Almost every kid has it. So when all those bottles are lined up while practice is going on, they all look the same. And when all those kids go to grab water, there’s a chance they’ll grab the wrong one.
If your child has a name sticker on their bottle, it’s easier for them to spot theirs when they need a drink.
It’s good for gym sneakers
Does your child have to change into gym sneakers at school? Or maybe you live somewhere cold and have to send your kid to school in winter boots, then she changes into sneakers at school.
You can stick name label stickers inside each sneaker so she knows which are hers.
But, here’s a good hack.
If you buy shoe labels that are made for specifically for shoes, they’ll have your kid’s name on them and then half an image. Those help with left and right. When the image looks correct, she’ll be able to easily figure out which shoe goes on which foot and you don’t have to worry about her walking around with the wrong sneaker on the wrong foot all day.
They’re great for school uniforms
If your child goes to a school where a uniform is required, iron-on labels are really helpful for pieces that everyone has, like a button up sweater. There are only a handful of sizes, so it’s really easy for someone to pick up your child’s or vice versa.
If you add clothing labels inside your child’s uniform, that helps assure only your kids’ clothing is coming home. Not anyone else’s.
Also, quick note: These labels are different than the ones you’re sticking on pencil cases. Those are waterproof labels and would be really scratchy inside a sweater. So just make sure you’re buying the right label for the right item.
More Sticker Ideas:
Curious about other ways you can use stickers? Check out our post about Using Stickers To Decorate Your Water Bottle. And Fun Ways To Use Valentine’s Day Stickers.
What other school items do you stick labels on? Let us know in the comments.
Paula
Wednesday 23rd of August 2023
Hey, Lisa, these are great ideas for using name stickers at school.
Laurie
Sunday 20th of August 2023
I used to love name labels. Never found my name spelled right, though, which was frustrating.
So many good reasons to label the kids’ stuff. It’s so easy to lose things!
chickenruby
Thursday 17th of August 2023
Stickers weren't available when my kids were in school, I used to write their name with a sharpie, it didn't stop them losing things though. but it was easier when I rummaged through lost property at the end of term to find things.
Cara ~ Vintage Style Gal
Tuesday 15th of August 2023
Love your ideas, I agree stickers are a good idea for so many reasons. Thank you for sharing!
Lyndsey
Monday 14th of August 2023
This is a great idea! We used permanent marker last year and it just wore off of everything.