High School Seniors Are Rocking Kindergarten Backpacks To School

Remember your first ever day of school: how you straightened out your school clothes, made sure your mom packed your favorite lunch and carefully packed your backpack? Do you remember your first backpack? Mine was red with Mickey Mouse and it carried all of my primary school books. Years later, I still fondly remember it as a symbol of happy school days and childhood. Unfortunately, years fly by and it’s time for exams and college applications. But some seniors found a fun way to hold onto childhood a little longer by wearing childish backpacks to school. This senior backpack challenge quickly went viral on TikTok and took a lot of people down memory lane.

Usually, a lot of teenagers cannot wait to become adults; they strive for independence and want to appear mature. But the tide seems to be turning, as a lot of high school seniors are dropping the cool kid facades and embracing a childish style. As a lot of students are heading back to school, most of them are shopping for essential school supplies and new backpacks to carry them in. Instead of sleek or trendy ones, they are choosing the ones with their favorite childhood characters: Backyardigans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spider-man – you name it.

This trend is taking the internet by storm. A quick search of #seniorbackpacks reveals a kaleidoscope of colorful and fun pint-sized bags. Seniors are showing off their new backpacks on TikTok, making commentators reminiscence about their school days and wishing they would’ve kept their SpongeBob or Disney Princess backpack. It is a heartwarming trend, reminding the parents that despite their babies being almost 18, they are still little kids who have a whole year to enjoy before they become adults who have to worry about taxes.

A few commentators noted that this trend isn’t new, and a lot of seniors have been wearing childish backpacks for years. Some schools even allow juniors and sophomores to get involved. Only in recent years has this become a mainstream trend. Someone take me back in time – I want to wear one to school.

The senior year of high school is a bittersweet one. On one hand, you have the excitement of the future, studying things you’re passionate about and never again having to see that one teacher that made your life miserable. On the other hand, it means leaving childish things behind and having to fend for yourself.

That’s why it’s so important not to rush into things and to enjoy the carefree days while you can. These high school seniors have the right idea – embracing this new trend gives them the ability to set the anxieties of the exams and college applications aside and just admire each other’s backpacks, creating memories they will cherish forever.

The senior backpack trend invoked a pleasant sense of nostalgia for simpler days. It also sparked a sense of unity among seniors. Back in kindergarten, whoever had the same sweater or same shoes automatically would become best friends. Now, years later, seeing someone rock the backpack with the same cartoon characters reminds us of that innocent feeling. In less than a year, everyone will go on different paths, so this is the last time seniors will spend as a collective.

Although this trend is adorable, high school can be a very stressful experience. A lot of students feel extreme pressure to get good grades and add as many extracurricular activities as possible to get a shot at their dream college. Such stress can have both psychological and physiological effects on a young student.

Prolonged stress can lead to insomnia, headaches, and low energy. It can lead to eventual burnout – a condition that takes time to recover from. But there is no time when you’re a senior and have exams looming. That’s why it is important to catch a break occasionally and just do something fun. There are no studies that tasty treats boost academic performance, but they surely boost one’s mood, especially when shared by a favorite classmate.

Some people remember high school as the best time of their lives, but it’s not the case for everyone. Studying subjects that are boring, mean kids that look down at each other – it can be nothing like sweet romantic coming-of-age comedies. If that is/was your experience, remember that high school is just a temporary stop on a great journey called life and life does get better as the years go on.

There are a lot of silly trends all over the internet, but the senior backpack trend is a heartwarming exception: a symbol of an academic journey and a connection to one’s younger self. Hopefully, these seniors will hold on to their inner child forever and find joy in childish things when adult life gets too hard.

We wish high school seniors and their parents a happy and exciting beginning of the school year.

Do you have fond memories of high school?