As a child, I’ve always had a love for stationery. So back-to-school shopping was one of those events I look forward to.
As an adult, I still get excited for back-to-school shopping even though we homeschool. I love checking out what’s new this season.
Nostalgia, I guess.
My son, sister, and I are all ADHD.
I thrive in categorizing, grouping, and organizing things. Here are some ADHD-friendly items I found that works for me and might work for you and your child, too!
Dual-purpose bag
If you’ve seen my travel backpack, you’d remember that this looks similar, so I was immediately drawn to it.
It’s important for me to have a bag with a lot of compartments, so that I know exactly where each item is. And I can group them according to usage.
Bento-style lunchbox
My son didn’t like his food touching each other when he was younger. One time, when we went to Singapore when he was 2, he wouldn’t eat. I was getting concerned because he was eating very little or none at all. We were using my brother-in-law’s plates. At home, my son uses a plate with dividers.
It was a long shot, but I thought it could be the plate.
So, I called my BIL and asked him to buy my son a plate with dividers. And luckily, he found one that’s Hot Wheels brand, my son’s favorite that time!
His appetite was back immediately! Since then, we never traveled without a divider plate.
For ADHD brains, this kind of setup actually matters more than people realize. When food is all mixed together, it can feel visually overwhelming—like there’s no clear place to start.
It looks like one big blob to us. 😆
Divider plates or bento-style boxes create structure. Each section becomes its own small, manageable choice instead of one big, chaotic task.
It also helps with sensory overload—different textures, flavors, and temperatures aren’t all hitting at once. And in a quiet way, it makes eating more satisfying. You get those small “done” moments as you finish each section, which keeps the brain engaged.
It’s not about being picky—it’s about making things easier to process, so eating feels calm, not overwhelming.
I also love to eat bento-style, if you’ve noticed in some of my posts and if you’ve been following my food blog. I wish I had these as a child.
My son can eat from a round plate now, but his food still needs social distancing. 😏
Totes and Pouches
I’ve waxed poetic about totes and organizers time and time again because it’s really very important for my ADHD brain.
By the way, I’ve seen these designs at Muji and Uniqlo. I have a few of these bags and totes from both brands.
These small totes are great for going out for a short time, like an hour. I still need my things to be organized even if it’s just a quick trip.
Same with the pouches below. I have several in my bag so I can group my things accordingly and contain them. If it’s one big jumbled mess, I get very annoyed and a loop opens in my head and I have to organize it. I won’t be able to do anything else until I fix it and close the loop.
It also helps if the pouches are see-through. I remember something that Nate Berkus said when organizing - ladies, store your toiletries inside stylish (not see-through) organizers because it’s gross to see them lying around on the counter.
But for me, I need to see where my things are. Otherwise, out of sight, out of mind. And then I forget about them and never use them until they expire.
So, I corral my things, but I need to see where they are.
Activity Kits
Oh, my son and I are notorious for getting bored with an activity or task quickly, so we need little things to refresh our minds before we go back to a task. Call it a dopamine shot. For us? It’s just another Tuesday.
I saw this activity kit and showed it to my SIL. I thought her 6-year old would like it.
How cute is that?
Smiggle has a lot of these cute bags, pouches, organizers, lunch boxes, etc that are very ADHD-friendly. The colors, functionality, and product quality are right up my alley.
And for a cheaper alternative, these hard boxed activity kits are also great.
I made a lot of activity kits for my son when he was younger. He always needed something to do in the car, at the restaurant, basically anywhere that needs waiting.
These kits are a must-have for any ADHD family.
These are also great for brain breaks. If your child is getting agitated or bored with school work, take an activity out from your kit and do it together. That’s what I did with my son. After a while, he would be ready to work on his acads again.
Back-to-school looks different when you have an ADHD brain.
It’s not about having more supplies.
It’s about having the right ones.
The ones that make it easier to start.
Easier to focus.
Easier to stay.
And that’s exactly what these things help us do.
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'Til my next post,
Stay soft. Stay strong. Stay Glowing.
LET'S GLOW.
With elegance and quiet fire,
Lady E
Exhibitor and speaker at the Philippine Book Festival 2026
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