How parents plan to make back-to-school ‘magical’ for their kids

More than four in five parents are working to make the back-to-school season “magical” for their elementary school kids, according to new research.

A survey of 2,000 parents with children aged 6-12 found 86% are trying to bring the “magic” back to school and, for many, their goal is getting their child excited about returning to the classroom.

In order to do so, parents allow their child to choose their clothing and outfits (62%), purchase school supplies that their child likes (62%) and help support their child’s passions and interests (56%).

Almost one in five parents (19%) even admit that they disliked school when they were their child’s age, and 96% are hoping to create more positive memories for their little ones.

Results found that only 40% of kids are typically “very excited” to return to school after summer break, which means parents are working overtime to make it more enjoyable.

Parents use hands-on learning (63%), food or snack activities (43%) or “magic” experiences (25%), such as fantasy activities or shows, in order to get their kids excited about learning.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Keebler, to highlight their portfolio of snacks ahead of the back-to-school season, the survey looked into the different ways parents are finding the “magic” for their children.

Many parents are surprising their kids with their favorite snack (43%), slipping notes into their lunchbox (33%), and giving their child a “lucky charm” to help the school day go smoothly (19%).

In fact, 86% of parents are likely to pack a sweet snack for their child on any given school day — with Monday (52%) and Friday (57%) being the most frequent days.

Parents also believe that their child prefers sweet treats more than they do (36% vs 7%), though 56% admit they both share that love equally.

When it comes to their favorite sweet treats, cookies came out in the top three for kids and parents alike — cookies were No. 1 for kids (51%), and No. 2 for parents (41%). Also in the top choices for kids were chips (50%), while parents preferred ice cream (46%).

Chocolate ranked as the top favorite flavor for both kids and their parents (57% and 46%), followed by strawberry (39%) for kids and caramel (35%) for parents.

While parents use their child’s after-school snack as an excuse to have one themselves an average of two times per week, 27% admit they’re likely to do so every day.

In fact, 80% of parents are likely to enjoy the same after-school snack as their child, regardless of their preferences.

“The back-to-school season signifies a change for all members of a family,” said Alicia Mosley, Vice President of Marketing, Keebler Brand. “And during this transitional time, there’s plenty of small ways to make a new routine ‘magical’ and help instill that love of learning and school in your child. Whether you’re putting notes in your child’s lunch box or surprising them with their favorite snack, enjoying sweet treats both during and after school can keep the magic alive and make heading back to school exciting.”

According to the results, 70% of parents believe that an after-school snack is a ”magic” fix when their child has had a rough day.

On top of that, another 70% say that their child believes that magic is real.

Aside from snacks, parents work to keep that magic alive by encouraging their child to use their imagination (70%), help ensure they believe in the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus (53%), teach them to always see the best in people and their experiences (50%) and encourage them to look for the unexpected (46%).

“It’s encouraging to see parents working so hard to keep magic alive for their children and it’s those little moments of magic that their children are going to remember and cherish for the rest of their lives,” said Mosley.

Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 parents of kids ages 6-12; the survey was commissioned by Keebler and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 8 to July 16, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:
● Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
● Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:
● Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
● Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
● Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
● Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.