The Best Back to School Gear for Middle Schoolers
Start the year off right with WIRED-tested headphones, planners, and more for your tweens and preteens.
Remember starting middle school? Your first locker. Your first time navigating halls between classes. Your first stress breakout. Middle school can be a little intimidating, but while you can’t hold your kid’s hand as they try to find their algebra class, you can get them prepared with a backpack that won’t break and a laptop that won’t crash. We’ve polled and pestered our adolescent loved ones and rounded up the best WIRED-approved back to school gear that they’ll actually like.
Don’t see anything you like? Be sure to check out our other back-to-school guides, including the Best Laptops, Best Tablets, Best Laptop Bags, Best Student Email Discounts, and Best Dorm and College Gear.
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Photograph: Apple
Peace of Mind
Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)
Choosing when to get your child their first phone is a very personal decision (though our Best Cheap Phones buying guide may be of some assistance). But middle school is usually when there may be some opportunities to stay after for theater rehearsals or sports. Or maybe your kiddo starts staying the night at a friend’s house. The Apple Watch SE works with Family Setup, which allows your kids to contact a preset list of people, and for them to share locations with you. These watches also have emergency features like automatic fall detection or a quick option to contact the police (and again, preset emergency contacts). Aside from offering peace of mind, these watches have fitness tracking capabilities and a special schooltime focus mode. The Apple Watch SE (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite Apple Watch overall. The affordable price tag is icing on the cake.
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Photograph: Adrienne So
A Smartwatch for Android Owners
Fitbit Ace LTE
The Fitbit Ace (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite smartwatch for kids. As reviewer Adrienne So points out, Apple Watches are grown-up devices that can be retooled for kids. The Fitbit Ace has kids in mind from the get-go. It still has necessary features like LTE connectivity so you can message your kids and track their location. But it also has fun time-limited games that help kids get their steps in and a built-in plastic bumper to protect the gadget. The Fitbit works with both Apple and Android phones. You don’t have to add the device to your phone plan to use it, but the trade-off is a $10 per month Ace Pass.
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Photograph: Lenovo
A Reliable Laptop
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus
The Lenovo Flex 5i (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our very favorite Chromebook. It has a slick 2-in-1 design that converts the device from a laptop to a tablet, and the 14-inch screen offers plenty of real estate for getting homework done or researching a school project. The Intel Core i3 processor is powerful enough for most tasks as well—even if there are several Google Chrome tabs open at once. It won’t feel sluggish or sound like a jet engine when your kids are browsing the web. There are ports for flash drives and phone chargers, and the onboard speakers are decent too. It’s hard to find a more well-rounded pick for your kiddo, especially at this price point—but we do have additional recommendations in our Chromebook buying guide.
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Photograph: Simon Hill
Best Headphones
Altec Lansing Kid Safe 2-in-2 ANC Headphones
Kids lose or break headphones all the time, especially if they’re carting them to and from school. WIRED reviewer Simon Hill’s wife is a teacher who let her students try these headphones, and one noted that it felt like their ears were being cuddled. The sound is surprisingly good, and it’s shocking to get good active noise cancelation at this price. They’re also volume-limited to 85 dB, so your kid can’t damage their hearing.
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Back It Up
SanDisk Extreme Pro (128 GB)
Sure, tons of schools use the cloud for storage and projects, but it’s still a good idea to start healthy backup habits early. We’ve got a bunch of flash drive recommendations, but the SanDisk Extreme Pro is the best model we’ve tested overall. It’s sleek, but not too small, and there’s a loop so your kiddo can attach it to a keyring or lanyard. The flash drive transfers files quickly, and most importantly it’ll help your kids learn to manage their own projects more responsibly.
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Photograph: Adrienne So
A Great Bike
Priority Start 24-Inch
So your child is too old for “baby” bikes, but too small for adult bikes. Meet the Priority Start. It’s the best bike for kids ages 7 to 13. It has a reliable Gates belt drive instead of a chain and an internal gear hub, so you don’t need to worry about rust or midride breakdowns. There are only three speeds, but the 24-inch wheels bridge the gap from a kid-size bike to a grown-up 26-incher. If your kid needs to upgrade their current bike to ride to school or to a friend’s house, this is a great pick. Reviewer Martin Cizmar says his daughter gained a ton of confidence on longer rides with the Priority Start. Don’t forget a good helmet!
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Photograph: Amazon
A Gentler Way to Wake Up
Homelabs Sunrise Alarm Clock
Hell hath no fury like an eighth grader at six in the morning. A sunrise alarm clock can help kids wake up both efficiently and peacefully. This Homelabs model is our favorite. The artificial sunrise is bright and direct, and it has extra features like multicolor mood lighting and a built-in FM radio. There are nature sounds to help kids fall asleep as well. The affordable price tag is just one more reason why this might be a good option for your kid’s bedroom. Find more recommendations in our lists of the Best Sound Machines and Best Sleep Gadgets. If light just isn’t going to cut it, check out these extreme alarm clocks.
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Photograph: Medea Giordano
The Best Water Bottle
Owala FreeSip Water Bottle
We freaking love this water bottle (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s available in capacities ranging from 16 ounces to a massive 40 ounces, but the 24-ounce is a good compromise between being able to carry it easily in a backpack and not having to refill it so often. There are tons of color options and the unique spout allows you to choose between chugging and slurping, thanks to the built-in straw. These are durable, easy to clean, and insulated, and they don’t have any lead. It’s never too early for your first emotional support water bottle.
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Photograph: Bubble
Care for Sensitive Skin
Bubble Full Skincare Set
Middle school brings with it all sorts of trials and tribulations, including that pesky hormonal acne. We quite like Bubble skincare, which is a gender-neutral line that’s safe for all skin types. It’s fragrance-free, vegan, and specifically designed for youthful skin. This seven-piece kit includes a basic routine for cleansing, toning, moisturizing, and masking. Bubble also has an excellent resource called Skin School that’s great for learning about skincare, from skin conditions and marketing buzzwords to an entire guide all about acne. Kids might also appreciate Starface Hydro-Stars, which are cute hydrocolloid bandages that help dry zits out. They’re WIRED (and TikTok) approved.
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Photograph: Amazon
A Way to Stay Organized
Class Tracker Ultimate Student Planner
Class Tracker makes our favorite paper planner for students. There’s a special Middle School version that’s super portable and easy to use. It’s designed with the academic year in mind. Each day is broken down with special sections for each core class—Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, and Language class—plus an “after school” area for each week. There are two additional class areas for some customization. These are excellent tools for helping kids stay on track and on top of their assignments.
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Photograph: Fjällräven
A Tried-and-True Backpack
Fjällräven Kånken 13-inch Laptop Backpack
The Fjallraven Kanken has been around for years, and it’s still a cool bag. This version is on the small side, but you could go for the 15-inch or 17-inch versions to get a little more room for laptops and textbooks. It has a roomy main compartment, and the fabric is water-repellant. The company also offers lifetime repairs, which means this bag lasts for years and years. Your kid can customize the colors as well.
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Photograph: Touchland
Sleek Hand Sanitizer
Touchland Hand Sanitizer
Not to be That Person, but I liked Touchland hand sanitizer before it was cool. These sanitizers smell great and don’t dry out your hands or feel sticky. The bottles are also easy to use, don’t leak, and are very pleasant to look at. You can also get a little bumper case to easily attach them to bags or purses. Added bonus: Each container has 500 sprays, so they last for a long time.
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Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Little Extras
More Fun Accessories
A keychain: Chances are that your kids are already into keychains. But trust me when I say that a bag isn’t complete unless it has a fun accessory. BoxLunch has tons of cool keychains with little trinkets and characters. Let them pick out one or two and you’ll stay in their good graces for at least 24 hours.
Locker Decorations: Middle school is usually when kids get their first lockers, and some of them really enjoy decorating their own little space. You can get magnetic wallpaper in basically any design you can dream up. Check out this kit for a magnetic mirror, storage caddy, shelf, and dry erase board. Add fridge magnets or string lights for another fun touch.
A Hygiene Kit: When I asked my little sister what middle schoolers needed, she said “Deodorant for all the boys because they smell.” Jokes aside, a toiletry kit stashed in their locker will probably come in handy. There should be essentials like lip balm, menstrual products, floss, and the aforementioned all-important deodorant. You could absolutely make one of these on your own at your local drugstore. But if you want a premade option, these boys and girls options are affordable and have reliable staples, like Old Spice. We can’t prevent our kids from getting their period in the middle of a school day or leaving lunch with spinach in their teeth—but we can give them the tools to take care of any mishaps.
Louryn Strampe is a product writer and reviewer at WIRED covering a little bit of everything. She especially loves discounts, video games … and discounted video games. She previously wrote for Future PLC and Rakuten. She currently resides in northern Illinois with two fluffy cats.
