5 Ways to Let Your Kid’s Style Flourish in a Uniform—Without Breaking School Rules From jewelry and belts to socks, shoes, and more these “tricks” will help your child’s personality shine while wearing a school uniform. By Elisabeth Sherman Published on July 29, 2025 In This Article View All In This Article Accessories Are Everything Focus on Footwear Widen Your Shopping Net Consider School Supplies, Too If All Else Fails, Try Subtle Changes Takeaways Close Photo: Getty When we decided to register my daughter for pre-k in our North New Jersey town, her dad had to sit me down and explain a few things: Yes, the schools are public, and yes, they all require uniforms. This was a little difficult for me to understand coming from the West Coast, where public schools meant free dress everyday. More urgently, however, I felt disappointed for my spirited toddler, who wouldn’t be able to express herself through her (formidable) personal style. And that’s not the only problem with signing up your kid to wear a uniform everyday. Sometimes the material can be stiff or uncomfortable, the colors boring. Especially for young kids who are still getting used to it, wrestling them into their uniform can be a daily battle. But as I myself learned, there are often so many loopholes in a school’s dress code that parents can take advantage of to help their kid feel like they stand out in a sea of navy blue and khaki. Parents questioning how they can make their kids feel comfortable in their uniforms while encouraging them to express their individuality have to come to the right place. Here, we talked to parents about they their kids look and feel their best at school—without breaking school rules. Accessories Are Everything If you and your child are looking for ways to customize a simple school uniform, the best place to start is with accessories, which can jazz up nearly every aspect of your child’s otherwise repetitive outfit. “Nowadays there are ways to add flare with small details that stand out,” says Karen Aronian, a former NYC public school teacher, college professor, and parenting expert. Here are all the different accessories you can add to your kid’s uniform—just sure to check your specific school guidelines, which might prohibit the amount or style of jewelry and hair styles. Lean into what your child’s interests are to decide how to accessorize. A Taylor Swift-enthusiast might sport a stack of beaded bracelets. Younger kids who enjoy movies like Frozen, Moana, or Spiderman can pick out a themed backpack or lunch box. If your school doesn’t have a strict policy regarding hair styles, Aronian recommends clip-in sparkly hair extensions, glittery hair clips or butterfly clips, and patterned headbands or bows. These are small, inexpensive that even young kids can pick out themselves, and which come in a near-infinite range of styles; for instance, bows might be printed with polka dots or strawberries, while hair clips could be decorated with flowers or hearts. Older students might accessorize with a pair of dangly beaded earrings or chunky vintage rings. Ceramic pins—which are available in almost every design imaginable, from beloved movie characters, to animals, foods, and even phrases like “Be Kind,” and “Good Vibes,” might look especially cool on a blazer or backpack. “My kid recently snuck into my old stock pile of buttons/pins from my younger punk days. He was really loving the amount of options and possibilities that he could add to his school polo,” says Aaron Gonzalez, a data engineer. Focus on Footwear Shoes have long been considered a way to punctate an outfit with a final flourish, inside of a uniform or out. A sharp sneaker or a glittery pair of flats can help a drab uniform feel like it has flair. Boden has a plethora of colorful kicks, sure to add an extra special twist to any outfit. Even colorful, mismatched, or patterned socks make a statement. There might be certain colors of styles that schools don’t allow. For example, some schools have recently banned Crocs. But within those restrictions, there are still ways to customize your child’s look. The point is to allow them to take the lead. Try letting them pick out a style to which they are drawn, without interfering too much—expect to remind them of the school rules—whether that’s a more demure loafer or a flashy light up Spiderman sneaker. Widen Your Shopping Net While your school might have a certain brand they recommend, or even a store where they direct parents to buy shirts that are monogrammed with the school’s name, sometimes the dress code might be flexible enough to find items of clothing that fit the rubric at other stores. For instance, if all your student needs is a khaki-colored skirt, you might be able to find one with pleats or a subtle bow detail. Shorts and pants could have a stretchy or drawstring waist band, or come in a jogger style, making them more comfortable—and less restricting—to wear all day. You should also look for styles with small touches that match your child’s personality. For instance, my daughter enjoys wearing a version of her school uniform with a scalloped collar and flower-shaped buttons. Other options might be a puff sleeve or small logos like embroidered alligator on Izod shirts. Consider School Supplies, Too If changes to uniform itself are forbidden and accessories options are limited, another way for kids to express themselves is through their customized school supplies. Textbook covers can be made at home with construction paper and markers; patterned options are also available on Etsy. The same goes for laptop sleeves and shells, in a variety of designs that will match your child’s style. Patterned pencil cases, colorful folders and pencil-top erasers, and composition notebooks and planners that students can decorate themselves with drawings or stickers, can all signify your child’s personality and style. If All Else Fails, Try Subtle Changes Inevitably there will be the school that has strict rules about what students can wear on campus—rules that might feel inflexible and restricting to a kid whose identity is still developing. But even in those cases, small nods to your child’s personal style can make them feel comfortable in their daily uniform. One strategy that worked for us was to let my daughter pick out one of her shirts to wear underneath her uniform shirt. Even if just the hem peaked out (or it didn’t show at all), the mere presence of the shirt made a connection to the safety and familiarity of home, making it much easier to get her dressed in the morning. If outward changes or deviations from the school’s uniform code are not allowed, one parent figured out a clever way to help her daughter still feel like she was expressing her individuality. “I love to put hidden gems in my child’s uniform. I place patches we have chosen together inside the skirt or blazer, shirt, or sweater so she sees it to have a little reminder of how special she is, smart she is and how loved she is,” says Gianna Scappucci, a publicist. “It’s our special hidden thing that makes her uniform so unique without breaking the rules in a very strict dress code environment.” Patches can reflect your child’s favorite books and shows, their hobbies, even their political values. The options are limitless, and if you don’t sew, all you really need to apply them is an iron. Takeaways A school uniform can feel like it controls or restricts your child’s self-expression. Adhering to school rules is of course important, but so is nurturing your child’s sense of individuality—one sure fire to help encourage them in this essential aspect of their growth is to support their personal style. Related Here’s What the Research Says About School Uniforms 8 Back-to-School Fashion Tips from a Mom and Stylist If your child feel stifled by the conformity required by a uniform, parents can help them pick out a backpack or pair of shoes of their choice, customize their look with hair accessories or jewelry, pack colorful school supplies in their bags, even let them out in the door in mismatched socks, if it speaks to their personality. These strategies help your child feel as though you value their independence and identity. When they are comfortable in their clothes, they’ll be able to devote more focus to learning. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Read more: Life With Kids Education and Childcare