Back-to-school preparation looks different for a child practicing letters, a teenager beginning seminary, and a college student moving into a dorm. Each new school year still brings the same opportunities to establish routines, strengthen faith, and remember Jesus Christ through unfamiliar experiences.
The right resources support those goals without adding more pressure to an already expensive season. These ten Latter-day Saint essentials offer meaningful options for children, teenagers, college students, and families at a variety of ages and price points.
Reusable Gospel Activities for Young Learners
Activity pages and wipe-clean workbooks give younger children an engaging way to explore gospel principles while developing school-readiness skills. Writing, tracing, reading, drawing, puzzles, and scripture activities strengthen important abilities while keeping Jesus Christ at the center of learning.
A reusable workbook works especially well for quiet time, family scripture study, church meetings, travel, or the after-school hours when children need a calmer activity. Printable coloring pages, general conference helps, and family-friendly Come, Follow Me resources also allow parents to select activities that match each child’s interests and abilities.
Keychains and Backpack Reminders
A keychain or zipper pull gives children and teenagers a small reminder of faith that travels with them throughout the day. Attached to a backpack, lunchbox, pencil pouch, or scripture case, it offers encouragement without taking up valuable space.
Letting students choose their own design also gives the reminder more personal meaning. A child might select something colorful and cheerful, while an older student might prefer a simple symbol that quietly reflects what matters most.
A Simple Scripture Reading Tracker
A chapter-by-chapter reading chart or tracker gives students a clear sense of direction as they work toward personal, family, or seminary study goals. A scripture bookmark designed for the volume they are studying makes progress easy to see without requiring another app, notebook, or complicated system.
The tracker also works for college students, families, and anyone setting a personal scripture-reading goal. Its slim format fits inside scriptures or a journal, keeping the goal visible each time the student sits down to study.
A Journal That Belongs to Them
A new journal creates space for more than a record of school activities. Students can use its pages to preserve spiritual impressions, work through questions, record answered prayers, establish goals, or notice how they are growing.
Personalizing a journal with a student’s name, a meaningful phrase, or a beloved temple turns an ordinary notebook into a keepsake. A durable cover, lined pages, and a ribbon bookmark make it practical for seminary notes, personal study, temple preparation, or quiet reflection during college.
Scriptures Chosen for the Student
A personal scripture set marks an important step toward independent gospel study. Choosing color scriptures that reflect the student’s personality adds warmth to the gift while helping the scriptures feel distinctly their own.
For younger readers, personal scriptures invite simple habits such as finding a favorite story or following along during family study. Seminary and college students need a durable set that moves easily between home, church, class, and campus activities.
Scripture Marking Supplies
Bright scripture markers turn study into an active process by helping students notice repeated ideas, important promises, questions, and personal impressions. Gel highlighters designed for delicate scripture pages glide across the paper without bleeding through, tearing, or obscuring the words.
A multi-color set also allows students to develop a simple marking system based on themes such as Jesus Christ, covenants, commandments, revelation, or promised blessings. The goal is not to create perfectly coordinated pages, but to help students slow down and interact more thoughtfully with what they read.
A Wearable Reminder of Jesus Christ
Faith-centered jewelry offers students a personal, wearable reminder of the truths and relationships they value most. Necklaces, rings, bracelets, tie bars, and pins range from subtle symbols to more visible expressions of belief, allowing each student to choose a style that feels natural.
For example, a necklace featuring the Savior keeps Him close to a student’s thoughts through a reverent design suited to everyday clothing and Sunday dress. Personalizing a piece with a name, date, scripture reference, or short message adds private meaning for a teenager entering a demanding school year or a college student living away from home.
Faith-Centered Stickers for Everyday Belongings
Stickers give students an inexpensive way to personalize items they already use. A meaningful image or message belongs easily on a notebook, laptop, water bottle, planner, mirror, or locker.
Younger children often enjoy bright visual reminders, while teens and college students tend to appreciate designs that feel modern and subtle. With so many styles and messages available, students can choose faith-centered stickers that reflect both their beliefs and personal tastes.
Inspirational Art for Study Spaces
A peaceful study environment matters when homework, deadlines, and decisions begin to feel overwhelming. Latter-day Saint art depicting Jesus Christ, a temple, or an encouraging gospel message helps establish a quiet visual center in a bedroom, homework area, apartment, or dorm room.
The artwork does not need to dominate the room or occupy a large wall. A small print beside a desk, calendar, or bookshelf reminds students to pause, pray, and remember that academic performance does not determine their divine worth.
A Small Christus Statue
A small Christus statue offers a lasting focal point for a desk, dresser, shelf, or bedside table. The Savior’s outstretched hands communicate peace, welcome, and an invitation to come unto Him during both successful and difficult days.
A six-inch statue remains visible without requiring much room, which makes it especially suitable for a college apartment or dorm. Smaller and larger sizes also allow families to choose something appropriate for a child’s bedroom, a shared study area, or another meaningful place in the home.
Preparing More Than a Backpack
No Latter-day Saint student needs every item on this list, and spiritual preparation does not depend on buying something new. One carefully chosen resource, paired with a personal note or meaningful conversation, often carries more value than a backpack filled with religious products.
As families prepare schedules, supplies, and first-day outfits, they can also discuss the worries and hopes accompanying the new school year. A simple reminder of Jesus Christ then becomes more than another school supply—it becomes a visible expression of love, identity, and faith.
What would you add to a faith-filled back-to-school kit? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Originally published August 16, 2017; has been updated.
Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
