What should be in the school bag every day?
Short answer: 17 items, from charged device if the school requires one through to spare undies and socks (young kids especially). The complete School Bag — Daily Check checklist is written out below — and the exact same 17 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The School Bag — Daily Check checklist — all 17 items
- Charged device if the school requires one
- Correct shoes for the day
- Drink bottle filled
- Hat (no hat, no play in most NZ schools)
- Homework or reading folder
- Inhaler or EpiPen if prescribed
- Jacket or jumper for the weather
- Library book on library day
- Lunchbox packed
- Money for canteen or trip, in a labelled envelope
- Musical instrument if needed
- Named jersey or top (uniforms disappear otherwise)
- PE gear on sport day
- Permission slip deadline checked
- Show-and-tell item if it's that day
- Signed notices or forms
- Spare undies and socks (young kids especially)
The school bag is checked by a half-asleep child at 7:50am and audited by consequence at 9am: the reading folder on homework day, the library book on library day, the hat in terms one and four, the permission slip due back yesterday. Small items, daily stakes.
This daily list is built for kids to run themselves — lunchbox, drink bottle, hat, homework and notices, sports gear on the right days. Stick it by the door or open it on the app and let the child tick it; the goal isn't a packed bag, it's a kid who packs their own bag. That skill outlasts school.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "reading folder" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should be in the school bag every day?
You need 17 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from charged device if the school requires one through to spare undies and socks (young kids especially) — and the same 17 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=school%20bag%20-%20daily%20check opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this School Bag — Daily Check list (17 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.