Here are three things you can toss in your child's backpack to make sure he has a good day. A bouncy rubber ball. Having this simple toy stashed away is a great way to encourage playtime on the fly.

Volunteers with the 31:8 Project put together backpacks with essentials and things to do for children in two different age groups, from two to 12 and 13 to 17. Things like coloring books ...