How to Personalize School Uniforms in 3 Easy Steps

This post is sponsored by Target.

It’s officially back-to-school time and every mom around knows exactly what that means….clothes. Both of my kiddos will be in the same school with the same dress code this year and while school uniforms may strike fear into the heart of some moms, for me and my boys the often dreaded school uniform simply challenges us to get creative and add some personal touches to a uniform look.

Now, I’m going to be honest with you. My oldest has been wearing school uniforms since his very first day of kindergarten eight years ago. And, yes I’ll say it, we LOVE school uniforms. They make mornings so simple! They take the guesswork out of what to wear. And they make life as a mom much less complicated when it comes to back-to-school clothes shopping.

However, when your kids wear uniforms every day, the question becomes how do you help them stand out? And what can you do to ensure that in a sea of similar looking outfits, your kiddo has a personality that is all his or her own? Thankfully, with a little practice (remember, I’m a veteran at this whole uniform thing) and some creative ideas, I’m here to show you how to make personalizing school uniforms as easy as 1-2-3!

Step 1: Know Your School’s Uniform Dress Code

This sounds simple enough, right? Wrong! Uniform dress codes can be complicated depending on what school your child attends. However, they will likely have certain shirt and short colors that are required. Most schools are pretty flexible when it comes to where you do your shopping as long as your child’s clothing meets the basic guidelines. However, some schools have more rigorous guidelines so make sure that you know exactly what you need prior to starting your uniform shopping. Remember to pay attention to any restrictions to accessories. Look closely at any additional rules that may be in place. It’s always better to know up front what is and isn’t allowed so you can ensure that you’re helping your child express him or herself without breaking any rules!

Step 2: Start With The Basics

Once your know your school’s uniform code, it’s time to get the basics. For my boys this means khaki shorts and navy collared shirts. Recently, we headed to Target to do our back-to-school uniform shopping and let me say, it was just so easy! Locating the uniform items they needed was a breeze and there were a variety of sizes, ensuring that both my boys had their basic essentials. Even better, we also had the option of shopping online for an extended assortment of uniform colors, sizes and styles!

Knowing that Target actually carries school uniform options in their stores ensured that we would be able to find all the basic pieces we needed in one location without having to shop around. And the peace of mind that their online options offered assured us that even if what we needed wasn’t it stock, it was only a click away!

Shopping at Target was the perfect way to make back-to-school uniform shopping quick and easy! I loved the convenience of simply heading to our local store and knowing that I could find exactly what I needed without having to order online or run all over town. Plus, I knew that the school uniforms from Target would fit fabulously and look great on both of my ready-for-school students!

So if you’re needing uniform basics for your new or seasoned uniform wearing child, be sure to start with a trip to Target. That way you’ll have the essential items you need as a jumping off point for your personality expressing outfit!

Step 3: Add Some Personality

Once you’ve got the basics (which in our case was khaki shorts and navy collared shirts), it’s time to go wild and let your kids add their own personal style. Now, I know some of you who aren’t familiar with this uniform thing may be wondering how you add style to a uniform but let me just tell you, it’s so totally easy at Target! Since I have both a preschooler and a pre-teen, let’s look at how Target helped me add personality that was all their own to both of their uniform styles.

Step one was to find the perfect belt in the apparel section. Since my little guy likes to keep it fun and mix things up, we decided to go with something a little cooky!

For my middle schooler, it was equally important to add a little personality in a more reserved way. He found a flamingo belt that tied in with his laid back style and paired perfectly with his awesome looking uniform.

After adding a fun belt, it was time to move on to step two: the socks. Again, I wanted to allow my kiddos to show exactly who their are though their apparel and accessory choices so something with a little flare for my youngest really made sense.

While socks weren’t as big of a deal for my oldest, he decided to take things further with step 3: the shirt or sweatshirt. We were able to find a selection of perfectly plaid button ups at Target that he could tie around his waist for when the classroom gets cold. While matching perfectly with his uniform, this stylish twist still gave him the ability to stand out in the crowd.

With a pop of the collar and a shirt around his waist, he went from looking like he was in a plain uniform to being back-to-school cool!

As I sat back and looked at both of my boys and their back-to-school selections, it became clear that with the right apparel and accessories from Target, uniforms don’t have to be boring! In fact, giving them personality is as easy as finding the perfect belt, socks and shirt. Then all my kids had to do was pair them together for a look they both love that feels anything but uniform.

As they headed out the door for their first day of school this year, it was easy to see that even in school uniforms, they both had a style that is all their own. And while we started with a pretty generic look, helping them achieve their perfectly personalized school uniform look was as easy as following three simple steps!

So this year, if your child wants to really rock their uniform in a new and personal way, be sure to 1) Know Your Uniform Code, 2) Start with the Basics from Target and 3) Add Some Personality to their uniform look. With a little creativity, a few pops of color and some amazing deals from Target, I think you’ll discover like I have that uniforms don’t have to be hard. And they don’t have to be boring. Instead, make turning your child’s school uniform into a truly personal fashion statement as easy a 1-2-3!

Target makes going back to school easy.