5 minute read
16 fun ways to celebrate the First Day of School
The years seem to pick up speed as our kids get older. One day they are getting on the bus for kindergarten and in the blink of an eye, they are walking across the stage at high school graduation. Don’t let those years go by in a blur. Capture the first day of school with a tradition the kids will enjoy and your family will treasure for years to come. Here are 16 ideas for back-toschool traditions; choose one or two that sound fun and run with it!
Freeze a Memory
1 Drive to your local high school a few days before school starts. Take a photo of your child standing by the marquee or near the front door, or gazing up at the school while wearing his backpack. If taken every year, it’s fun to see the progression from year to year. These photos make a great collage to display at a high school graduation party.
2
Purchase a copy of Time and People magazines before school starts. Have your child pose with the covers to remember what was in the news that year.
3
Buy an adult-sized T-shirt from the local high school spirit store. Take a photo of your child wearing the shirt with her backpack on the ground next to her to commemorate how your student (and her choice of backpacks) has changed over the years.
4
Take a photo of your student standing next to Mom or Dad in front of the house, but have your child stand on enough books for her to be as tall as the parent. As years go by and your child grows, fewer and fewer books will be needed. In the high school pictures, Mom or Dad might be the ones standing on books!
5
Take a photo of Mom and Dad on the first day of school. Will Mom’s eyes be filled with tears as the bus drives away? Don’t miss Mom and Dad high-fiving as the last child leaves the house on the last first day of school.
Cook Up a Tasty Tradition
1
The night before school starts, bake a loaf of bread, but place a clean penny in the dough before baking. At dinner, have all the kids break off a piece of the bread. Whoever gets the penny will have extra good luck that school year.
Make a Time Capsule
It’s never too late to make a time capsule. Decorate a box with a lid and store it away with the other special items in the basement or attic. Here are a few things to consider adding to the time capsule:
• A picture of your child
• A sample of their handwriting with the date
• A letter written by Mom, Dad, the student or all three
• A questionnaire about the child’s favorites: food, friends, activities, etc.
• A trending item like a Squishmallow or new game
• A weekly news or entertainment magazine
• A letter from the child’s new teacher welcoming them to school
• A favorite book that you read over the summer
• A penny from the current year
• A small favorite item like a keychain or earring
2
Start the first day of school off right with a special breakfast. Choose a traditional breakfast of eggs and toast, whip up a delicious smoothie or make silly cookie cutter pancakes with whipped cream.
3
Shop with your child before school starts and let him choose a special back-to-school lunch. Go beyond the sandwich to create yogurt parfaits, fruit pizza or ham and cheese kabobs. Include a note from Mom and a Hershey’s kiss.
4
When your child comes home from school, have a special afterschool snack like an ice cream sundae bar or colorful fruit trifle.
Watch them Grow
1
On the first day of school, measure your child from head to toe with a piece of string cut to his height. Put the string in an envelope and mark it with the date. At the end of the year, measure him again to see how much he grew.
2
Plant a tree in celebration of your child starting kindergarten. Every year, take a photo of your child in front of the tree and watch them both grow!
3
Make a back-to-school flag with white material to hang in front of the house. Every year, add your children’s hand prints using different colored paints. Include dates and ages to create a treasure you look forward to displaying every year.
4
Make a concrete stepping stone with your child’s footprint and the date. Let your child decorate it. Each year put the stone in the yard to create a wonderful memory garden.
Celebrate
1
Have a back-to-school bash. This is a great way to reconnect with all the kids you didn’t get to see over summer. Rent a large slip-andslide or bounce house, cook hot dogs and provide popsicles or snow cones. Enjoy one last hurrah before school starts.
2
Your teens and tweens might enjoy an evening bonfire to mourn the end of summer. Provide music, plenty of snacks and enough seating for everyone.
3
Don’t forget a party for moms! A first-day-of-school potluck breakfast is a great opportunity for moms to celebrate a return to routine. v
Pam Molnar is a freelance writer and mother of three. This is her 21st new school year as a parent.
