What do you need for the first day of school?
Start here: school is free
Primary school is free. The municipality must provide textbooks, writing and drawing materials and other teaching materials, and the school cannot require you to buy them. If you receive a list of things «everyone needs», it is worth asking what is the school's responsibility and what is a wish. That is an entirely legitimate question, and the answer is often that most of it is covered.
What is needed
School bag
The most important thing is that it fits well and has a chest strap, not that it is big. A six-year-old carries it every day for years.
Lunchbox and water bottle
Both must be openable by the child alone, without help. Test at home before the first day â it is one of those things that becomes a small defeat at lunchtime.
Indoor shoes
Most schools require them. Choose something the child can put on alone; velcro rather than laces saves many minutes a year.
PE kit and towel
At many schools this only starts after a few weeks, so it rarely has to be ready on day one. Ask whether they shower â that decides whether a towel is needed.
Rainwear and a change of clothes
Year 1 children are outdoors a lot, including at break. A change of clothes kept at school saves a trip home mid-day.
Reflectors
From October to March it is dark both to and from school in Oslo. Reflectors on the bag and on the coat, not just one of them.
What can wait
- âąA tablet or laptop. The school provides digital equipment where it is used in teaching.
Two more things that belong with starting school: when the holidays fall, and what AKS costs â where the part-time place is free for everyone in years 1 to 3.
The Oslo school year âAKS: price and the free part-time place â
Source
The free-education principle was checked on 12 August 2026. We recommend no brands and link to no shops; the advice on what works is practical experience.