Contacts, iron pills, hairbrush, spare inhaler, allergy meds, gift cards, AAA card, clothes, jewelry.  What do these things all have in common? 

They all went into the same box addressed and shipped to my daughter recently.  A few of the items were new or orders that arrived after she left to return to school a couple of weeks ago.  Most though were things she “forgot”.   It has crossed my mind that she might do this on purpose to see how long it takes me to find the items around the house. 

Honestly, it has become a game.  She drives off and I start tidying up.  Usually, within a half an hour I am starting a pile of goodies on her bed, I snap a photo of the pile to torture her, and then box up to send in a week or two.  My theory is if she didn’t pack it then maybe she doesn’t need it right away, but she will need it. 

Necessity is not the only time I ship things to her.  I have been known to send a random item or gift card from a store I know she loves or something I think she needs.  Even pre-pandemic, I might have ordered freshly baked cookies or groceries for her when she was having a hard week and texted her to go pick them up. 

So, what are good things to send college kids to let them know you are thinking about them?

That’s easy, anything!  You can select a subscription box, make your own, or work with some of the other parents in the neighborhood.  But that can all feel overwhelming too.  My suggestion, grab a calendar, and start working backward.  But first, it helps to plan or brainstorm a bit, and that to me is the secret sauce for fun, timely, goodies for the college kids. 

So here is my secret formula for success!!

Make three columns on a sheet of paper or open a spreadsheet if you prefer.  At the top of each column write the following headings; What is coming up, Favorites, and Things you think they need.

What is coming up? 

Fall, scheduled breaks, Halloween, thanksgiving, valentines, initiation, midterms, final exams.  In a non-pandemic world, there would be events, birthdays, holidays, date parties, no reason.

What are their favorites? 

Restaurants, shopping, t-shirts, music, treats, photos, books, artwork, gift cards, workout clothes, decorative items for their room, snuggly blanket.

What are the things you think they need? 

Seasonal decorative items, blue light glasses, hand sanitizer, water flasks to carry on campus, vitamins, non-disposable straws, and the tools to clean them, essential oils, a plane ticket home.

How many mailings do you want to plan and send? 

Make a list for each mailing, and start matching the columns up.  Choose from your lists; an event, a couple of favorites, and something you think they need.   Add each shipment to your calendar working backward.  When you want your shipment to arrive tells you when you need to send it to arrive on that date. 

Start shopping!

Gather together your goodies, as well as shipping supplies. Write a note to your son or daughter, box them up, and when it is time to send, take them to the postal center or schedule a pick-up.

As a bonus, doing this exercise helped me come up with a stash of “happies” - items to send that I can easily pull together, making it effortless to put something together in a hurry if needed.

And there you have it friends, my secret formula for shipping a little something to remind my kids that we are thinking about them! I hope this helped you figure out what works best for you and your college student.   As a bonus, I have included a spreadsheet for you to download and print to help you out. Just click on the button down below.

Do me a favor please, like this post, and let me know what you think in the comments below. I read them all!

Want more empty nest and parenting young adult goodness? Join my email list and be the first to know when new content is posted! And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest @partialtopearls