We all have holiday traditions, but what about back-to-school ones? The first day of the academic year is important not only for educators, but also for parents and students. Start the year with a fun tradition or two, and set a positive precedent for subsequent years. Here are some memorable ways to commemorate the new school year that you may want to incorporate into your family.
Throw a back-to-school party. Turn the end of summer into an exciting experience! Gather friends for an unforgettable back-to-school bash. Encourage your children to make the invitation list and the invites. Plan a backyard water fight or obstacle course, or meet at a local playground or pool. Invite other parents to bring a food item and make the party an easy, picnic-style potluck.
Set new goals, make a vision board, or draft a bucket list. Help your child lay out a plan for a successful and enjoyable year. Identify goals related to topics such as friendship, academics, or personal growth. If setting goals is too challenging, create a vision board for the year ahead with inspirational images and words. Grab supplies from the dollar store and get to work! Another option is to have your child write their own personal bucket list. Maybe they want to read 20 books, make a new friend, or join an after-school club.
Have a school ’year’s eve celebration’. Clear your calendars and spend the last day before school begins together as a family! Order pizza, watch a family movie, or play a few rounds of board games. This is also the perfect evening to head out for supper to a favorite restaurant.
Pick out a special first-day outfit. Go shopping for new clothes or look for favorites already in the closet at home. Let your child express their own style – if they want to wear that special new dress or pair of cool shoes, why not? It might even boost a shy child’s confidence on this auspicious day.
Whip up a fun lunch for day one. Let your kids tell you their current favorite foods, including their preferred fruits and veggies! Put together a custom meal tweaked for your own sweet, little client. Add a surprise treat, and a note of encouragement and love.
Conduct a first-day-of-school interview. What do you want to know about your child? Search online for a free printable interview or create one yourself. Use classic questions like, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” or put your imagination to work and ask things such as, “What superpower would you like to have?”
Measure your child. Record how tall they are on the first day of a new grade, and set a reminder in your calendar to do the same on the last day of school, too. Children will be thrilled to see how much they’ve grown over the summer and at the end of the year.
Prepare a back-to-school breakfast feast. Make the first meal of the day something to remember! Serve waffles, crepes, or pancakes with whipped cream and berries, or a hearty plate of eggs, hash browns, toast, and bacon or sausages. A fruit-filled yogurt smoothie or granola breakfast bowl might be a hit, too!
Snap the classic first-day-of-school photo. Memorialize each year with a photoshoot. Pose your child in the same spot every September holding a sign that displays their grade, or sketch the number on concrete with colorful sidewalk chalk and position them beside your amateur artwork.
After school, celebrate with a treat. Mark the end of day number one with something sweet. Do your kids have a favorite place they love to visit for goodies? Ice cream, gelato, milkshakes, Slurpees, donuts, cupcakes…the options are endless!
Born in the prairies, Stephanie has lived in both Canada and the U.S. She is a mother, cancer-survivor, cat lover, and avid traveler. Stephanie is the creator of the family travel blog, Next Family Getaway, nextfamilygetaway.com, where she shares trip ideas and travel advice for those traveling with kids.
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