Whether your family has chosen public, private, homeschool, or a combination of these, it’s important to start out the year on the right foot. First Day of School traditions make the day special, and give kids something to look forward to every year.
These are some traditions our family has adopted:
- Pictures!
We hold signs, or mini chalkboards, with current grades listed. Sometimes we include a back-to-school interview (favorite color, animal, food, etc.) with each child’s photo, or tuck it away in our scrapbook.
The whole family loves looking back through these first day pictures. The kids grow up so fast. It feels like you blink, and another year has gone by. Be intentional in capturing every moment that you can.
- School supply shopping
No matter your age, there’s nothing quite like breaking open a new box of crayons, is there?W
hen we do our yearly school supply shopping, each kid gets to choose a color, and we stock up on what we need. For example, my daughter always chooses blue, and gets to pick out pretty blue binders, notebooks, folders, and bookmarks. Staying color-coded helps each kid keep track of their belongings, and as an added bonus, I can easily figure out which child isn’t putting his stuff away.O
n the first morning of school, the kids decorate their new supplies, using markers, stickers, and even glitter.
We also pull out any new “big gifts” like classroom microscopes and prepared slides on the first day. - Recess shopping
Every year I pick out fun, inexpensive new outdoor playthings. Watch the end-of-summer sales at local stores; you can always find things like sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, beach balls, and bubbles with huge bubble wands. Or try out a recipe to make your own bubble solution, like this one from Home Science Tools.
These “recess gifts” are wrapped, and the kids each get to open one when it’s time to go play. - School Outside
We try to ease back into school with slow-and-easy first few days. If this means we start a week early, so be it. Our first day always includes read-alouds outside, often in our night clothes. Starting slow, easing ourselves back into more structured days, makes for a smoother transition back to seatwork and the regular daily routine. - Special meals
We always start the first day of school with a big special breakfast meal. I find it easiest to prepare something the night before. One of my favorites is the breakfast burrito recipe from The Spruce. Parent Life has a whole list of other great make-ahead breakfast ideas. Or, for easy, fast, and healthy breakfasts, but not necessarily make-ahead, try these ideas from Keeper of the Home.
We also bring our school lunch trays back into rotation. It doesn’t feel like school without these!
At the end of our first school day, we eat a hearty dinner and bring out a celebratory cake. Dad isn’t usually home during school hours, but this way, he’s still included in the First Day traditions.
- Scavenger Hunt
This isn’t a yearly tradition at our house, but we have done First Day of School scavenger hunts a few times and everyone loved it.Write down clues on index cards, and have kids search clue-to-clue until they find the special treat. For example, if you hide a pack of colorful new highlighters on top of the washing machine, your clue could be,
“This appliance will clean your shirt, after you’ve been outside covered in dirt.”The Spruce has other ready-to-use-clues.
- Countdown chain
This is probably the simplest idea. We’ve been doing it for almost 12 years, and reaching that last strip of paper is definitely an integral part of our First Day traditions. My children love using countdown chains for everything, including their birthdays, Christmas, vacations. Just loop strips of colored construction paper, number them, and hang. So easy even a preschooler can help! - Self-portraits
For art on our first day back to school, I give each child a handheld mirror and we sketch out self-portraits. It’s amazing to watch their artistic progress throughout the years—and a priceless keepsake for mom.
The traditions don’t have to be elaborate or expensive to give meaning and memory to every school year. What traditions does your family observe when school begins?
