4 Reasons Why Using Promotional Products Will Help Students Excel at School

“It’s back to school time, let’s party!”

Going back to school is exciting!

You finally get to see those friends that you haven’t seen all Summer. You’ll get to see your “crush” that you have missed for those long three months.

You’ll see your school schedule and find out what classes you’ll be taking!

Fun!

But unfortunately, for the majority of the population, going back to school can bring anxiety, fear, and the good ol’ “back to school blues”.

The Summer is over, there is no more sleeping-in, and here comes the homework.

Oh, the homework!

Luckily, we have some ways to turn that frown upside down!

Can you guess how?

Yes, with promotional products!

It doesn’t matter if you are a child going back to elementary school, middle school, or high school, or if you are an adult going back to college or university.

We all need that extra “umph” to get us back in the school spirit.

And what better way of getting that umph than to receive a whole bag of school spirit!

Promotional products are key to start the year off right, and I’m going to tell you why.

1. Promotional Products help build confidence

“80 percent of the kids entering in the first grade scored high on a self-esteem inventory.

By the fifth grade, only 20 percent of them were scoring high.

And by the time they graduated from high school, it was down to five percent.”

We want to help students succeed in every way possible.

If we knew that a back-to-school gift would help solve confidence issues, would we invest in it?

“I remember as a child getting back-to-school gifts that would ‘pump me up’ for the school year. Whether it was a plaque with an inspirational quote or a triumphant mouse figurine, it sent a beautiful message: believe in yourself.” (Brett Blumenthal, Huff Post)

A school t-shirt, notebook, pen and pencil is a great way to give the gifts your student needs to make them feel more comfortable in their surroundings.

A child’s confidence soars when they are comfortable about how they look and how they’ll fit in.

Make it fun to wear! Host a contest on the first day of school. Whoever wears their school t-shirt gets entered into a raffle.

That will not only help their self-confidence, but also give them something to look forward to on the first day of school.

2. Help your students socialize at school with promotional products

For some students, it’s difficult to meet new friends.

And it seems that this level of difficulty increases the higher the grade they are attending.

Promotional products are great conversational pieces!

At AnyPromo, we have thousands of games and toys that would be perfect to help your students socialize during lunch and on breaks.

Add a game/ toy to their back-to-school gift bag so that all of the students can play together.

Start the conversation for them by giving them the tools they need and make it easier on your students to socialize!

3. Promotional products increase your student’s concentration

Using sensory tools in your practice can provide a more focused, content and alert individual.

Fidget tools can be at many times distracting, but they can also help your students focus.

Some recommended fidget tools are stress balls, putty, and chair cushions.

Therapists also recommend using pressure and weight to help your students focus.

The added weight sends a most calming signal to the nervous system, relaxing the joint and skin proprioceptors.

Keep your students calm, relaxed, and focused by keeping blankets and fidget tools available for their use.

4. Increase the readability of your school’s rules and regulations

Let me ask you a couple questions…

Do you take those flyers that people hand to you at the mall?

Or do you ignore them, walk the other way, or pretend you don’t speak the native language?

If instead of a flyer, they were giving you a gift bag, would you take it then?

There is an increase in value of information when it is given with gifts.

And when your students and parents are reading this information, it will help them excel throughout their school year!

Giving a back-to-school goodie bag with promotional items is a great opportunity to pass in some important information about the upcoming school year.

This is also a great time to add general information, like healthy food alternatives to school snacks and parties and ways to get your student more involved in activities.

Throw in something fun, too, to get them excited about what’s to come!

Giving gift bags with your rules and regulations will be more effective than if you gave them separately.

Get your students excited about the school year while also keeping them informed of the important things!

Back to school is the perfect time to give

Now we all know that promotional products will help students excel, let’s figure out when we will give these awesome gifts!

There are plenty of ways to get everyone together before the school year.

Here are a couple ideas on how to get the back-to-school parties started!

Host a Back to School Fundraiser

Raise money for your school by selling branded, promotional gear!

Promotional T-shirts and tanks at AnyPromo start around $2.68 per t-shirt, and that includes your school’s logo and name!

If you sell those at $10, then you are making $7.32 toward your back to school fundraiser!

Per T-shirt!

Add some tumblers, hats, notebooks, and pens and you have yourself your own fundraiser booth.

This is a great way to raise money for the school!

Plus, you get to see everyone walk around in those school spirit colors!

PTO Today says “Wearing spiritwear when you’re out and about in public shows pride in your tribe.”

Sport that pride, make money for your school, and see everyone in their awesome school swag!

Host a Back to School Party

We kick off the Summer with a party, so why not do the same at the end?

It’s a great way to get in one last Summer swim before diving into the new school year.

And it’s a great way to get everyone together before the school year starts.

These parties can be hosted by parents, members of the PTA, teachers, and principals.

“Kick off the new school year with a bang! We love the idea of a Back to School Feast. It can be as simple as you and your kids toasting a meal with sparkling grape juice…” says iMOM on her Back-to-School blog.

Not only is it a great way for the children to meet with each other before that awkward first day of school, but it gives the parents the opportunity to meet each other as well!

Ask the parents beforehand if they would all like to contribute to a goodie-bag for the kids.

Last year, total spending for K-12 and college was expected to reach $75.8 billion, up from 2015’s $68 billion.

Your fellow parents will appreciate you helping them with school supply shopping!

Buy notebooks, pens, and pencils in bulk, put the school’s name and logo on them, and put them in a “back to school” bag.

“Look at Principal Miller, he has all those goodie bags! Are those for us?”

They’ll love it!

Make the most out of orientation

Orientation is hosted before the first day of school, and for a good reason!

It will prepare you for what is to come.

“During Orientation you will interact with students, staff and faculty from diverse backgrounds who will share with you strategies for academic, personal and global success.”

Brand your Orientation team with the perfect apparel and hats to welcome new students to the new year!

Harvey Mudd College’s New Student Orientation 2017

When you are giving out bags with the handy campus map and calendars, why don’t you also add some notebooks and pens with your school name and logo on them?

It’s a great way to motivate your new students to sport their school pride while studying at the local Starbucks or Coffee Bean!

How to choose which promotional products to give

With thousands of promotional products on our website, AnyPromo, it can be a little overwhelming to decide which ones you want to give.

Plus, the choice of promotional products will be different for each grade/college as well.

We have done some research and posted some polls to figure out just what students want to receive for back to school, and what teachers want to give away to their students.

Every Wednesday, Jay Busselle hosts a #promochat that starts a Twitter conversation about industry trends and topics!

On his latest #promochat from July 26th, Jay posted a question asking, “What are some of your top product and apparel choices that prove you know the school market/education industry?”

Erich Campbell tweeted back, “Usefulness, novelty, fit to culture, & quality. Apply to the unique needs of the school.”

We want to give students promotional products they will use during the school year!

And the unique needs of the school are definitely something that should be kept in mind.

AnyPromo also posted a poll in a Google+ community called Teaching Resources.

We asked teachers of the community what type of promotional products they would want to give their students.

It was to my surprise, that the majority (44%) said they would want to give USB chargers and earbuds!

It wasn’t too surprising that zero of them said they would want to give a fidget spinner.

When I would think of the perfect giveaway for a back-to-school gift, I would think the calendar, notebook, and pen would definitely be the favor.

But boy, how the times have changed!

Here are a couple ideas of what you can give to your incoming students, based on their education level:

Elementary School:
- JERZEES Youth 100% Polyester Short Sleeve T-Shirt
  - Best way to brand your school! Also a great way to keep track of your students at off campus events!
- Animal shaped pencils
  - Find your school mascot in the huge selection of animal pencils!
- Clear Translucent School Kit
  - Keep your students organised with this handy stationery kit.
- Something fun! An Expression Planter
  - An awesome hands-on project for your students to teach them how to grow and take care of plants.
- Something fun! Plastic Yo-Yo
  - Keep your students socializing on their breaks and at lunch with these yo-yos!

Middle and High School
- Gildan® Adult Heavy Cotton™ T-Shirt
  - You can also add a matching hat, if your school regulations allow those!
- School colored notebook
  - This notebook gives you bonus points as it is eco-friendly! Spread the awareness.
- Custom Eco Inspired Ball Pen
  - Double bonus points when you match the eco-friendly pen with the notebook!
- Something fun! Custom Emergency Mobile Charger Power Bank
  - Although being on cell phones are not ideal for school time, making sure they are charged for their breaks and on their way home is important for emergencies.
- Something fun! Cowbell
  - With a strong emphasis that these would only be used at school rallies, football games, etc, this would be a great way to motivate students to participate at school outings and socialize!

College and University
- Custom Port Authority Silk Touch Polo Shirt
  - T-shirts may sound repetitive at this point, but promotional apparel is one of the best ways to brand your school and are always appreciated by people receiving them.
- Desk in a box
  - As adults, we are constantly travelling and running errands while also trying to meet our deadlines at school. This travel stationery kit has everything you need during those moments “on the move”.
- Nantucket– Flash drive with keychain
  - Keep your flash drive close and everywhere you go. No need for the excuse “I forgot it” if it’s always on your keychain, right? 🙂
- Custom Emergency Mobile Charger Power Bank
  - Everything is electronic these days and having a phone or tablet with zero battery life can really mess up your chances of meeting a deadline.
- Something fun! Malmo 16 oz Stainless Steel Travel Tumbler
  - Keep you school spirit with you everywhere you go with this super handy travel mug!

We’re so ready to go back to school!

At this point you should be super excited about getting your students prepared for the school year!

There are so many fun gifts to give and ways to encourage your students to excel!

Whether your students are going back to school for the second time, if they attending middle or high school, or if they are adults ready to venture into college and university, we have the perfect promotional products to help them excel.

Keep in mind the four reasons why promotional products help students: they help build confidence, they motivate them to socialize, gives them more concentration during class, lunch, and breaks, and lastly they are more aware of the rules and regulations of the school.

Use the four reasons to guide your way when you purchase your promotional products.

And remember with every back-to-school gift bag you give, you are making a difference in that student’s school experience!

What other ways can we get more students excited about the new school year?