Shine On with GapKids for Back-to-School

This post is sponsored by GapKids. Check out all the fun Shine On activities at your nearest Gap store. For event dates and locations, visit Gap’s Facebook page and join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #ShineOn.

I know that back-to-school shopping is supposed to be a big deal. Parents receive a daunting list of supplies — from notebooks to glue sticks to hand sanitizer — and then they drive all over town trying to find the exact brand of crayons that their child’s teacher requested. But I don’t do any of that. In my town, the PTO sells already-assembled boxes of all the requested school supplies as a fundraiser. Help the PTO and avoid shopping for all those school supplies? Yes please! That way, I get to focus on my kind of back-to-school shopping, namely the clothes.

My kids are at different stages when it comes to clothes. Zuzu cares deeply about what she wears as befits a tween girl. She likes to shop at the stores her friends shop at and wear what’s “cool,” like skinny jeans and shirts adorned with peace signs. (Although, I will say, her highest value remains being comfortable, which is great.) JR likes his clothes to reflect his interests. Hence, his favorite shirt is the one his dad bought him that features pictures of all 44 Presidents. I kid you not. As a mom, my concern is first and foremost that my kids clothes are good quality. I am tired of pants that have holes in the knees by October and shirts that fall apart in the wash. For Zuzu, I care that her clothes are age-appropriate: I want her to look like the little girl she is, not a miniature 16 year old.

One place that I know I can count on for great clothes for both my kids is GapKids. From toddlers to teens, GapKids offers fashionable but age-appropriate clothes that are well-made. Here are some of the colorful back-to-school fashions you will find in GapKids stores this fall:

This month select GapKids stores around the country, including here in Chicago, are hosting a series of special events to make back-to-school shopping fun for kids and parents. On these special Shine On Saturdays, kids can unleash their inner artists and participate in art projects from creating geometric masterpieces on canvas using paint and tape to colorful, custom journals to get kids ready for back-to-school. Designed by Merrilee Liddiard of Mer Mag, the projects were inspired by the GapKids and babyGap fall collection, including the best new 1969 denim – Jewel Box Skinnies for girls (the new skinny jean updated in bright stretchy denim) and Action Stretch Denim for boys (designed for play all day- it’s denim that’s made to move). Here is the information for the Chicago-area events:

Full disclosure time: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. This is a sponsored post for which I will receive compensation.