10 Unique Ways to Celebrate the First Day of Homeschool

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I can’t believe it’s almost time for our first day of homeschool!  The summer break flew by; each day spent with my kids has been priceless, and I’m reminded of just how blessed I am to be a homeschool mama. 

I’m excited to make some new memories this school year with my now 5th grader, my 4th grade twin girls, and our 3.5 year old who will be tagging along.

I have always loved the “back to school” season, and want to create that same excitement for my kids (after all, “back to school” looks just a little bit different for us homeschooling families).  That’s why each year we’ve done a few special things to create memorable first day of homeschool traditions and get us off to a great start.

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Here are 10 fun first day of homeschool ideas that you might want to try out at this start of a new school year.

1. Make a special breakfast

Beginning with a good meal and a great mindset can be one of the most important things you do each day! Get the first day of homeschool off to a fun start with a special breakfast that you don’t have everyday.

I have enjoyed making these Funfetti Pancakes in the past, or I LOVE using my Wilton Donut Baking Pans to make some easy breakfast treats at home. Banana chocolate chip muffins are also a hit if you need something quick and easy. Yum!

We also have a favorite donut spot I will take them to if I feel like going out instead. Use the morning to connect and build excitement for being together and beginning this new homeschool year of learning!

2. Take a fun field trip

This also doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Maybe you head to a local park for a picnic lunch, a children’s museum, or another local museum or place to explore.

The local library can also be a great place to visit, and you can pick up books to fill your book baskets while you’re there. You can make this trip as “school-y” as you want to.

Wherever you choose to go, your kids will have a great time with a first day field trip and enjoying quality time with you.

3. Gather new school supplies

You might spend some time decorating binders and folders and notebooks if you have younger kiddos; get out the stickers or vinyl cutter and have fun with personalizing the school supplies! This can really help kids take ownership of their materials, plus it’s so much fun (and we can count it for art, right??).

I’ve read that some families do a school supply treasure hunt, so if you want to hide the supplies around the house and have the kids search for them as a fun activity, have at it!

4. New first day of homeschool outfits

A brand new outfit is a great way to set the stage that we are beginning something new. A new year, possibly new routines (at least new from what we have been doing over the summer). Plus, they will have fun dressing up and looking polished for #5:

5. Take first day of school pictures

We’ve taken first day pictures in the same spot each year, and it’s a fun way to see the difference even just over the past couple of years.

Need a first day of school sign? I’ve created some free, cute printable signs you can use for these first day photos (click the picture below!), or you can grab these ones from Amazon.

6. First day of homeschool interview

I just love having the kids fill these out, not only to see what they write down about themselves, the self portrait they draw, and their favorite things this year, but they will be so fun to look back on as they grow. We use the free printables I created, and you can grab it below!

7. Write letters to themselves

We haven’t done this one yet, but my kids are getting to the age where it might be kind of fun. I saw an idea to have them write a letter to themselves, put it in an envelope, and then read it on the last day of the school year. Younger kids could draw a picture or even narrate a letter to you.

8. Write a note for your kids to leave on their chair before breakfast

This would also be a really sweet idea for when the kids to come to the kitchen the first day of school. But special cards for them, or just write a nice, hand-written note telling them how excited you are for the upcoming year and all of the fun things you are going to learn and experience together.

9. Decorate the homeschool room

I’m not quite sure what first day of school decorations would look like, but I think this would be a fun idea! Streamers, maybe balloons, something festive to signify that there is something special about this day to ramp up the excitement.

10. End the day with a trip for ice cream

Or some other special treat you all enjoy! The whole family loves to go out to our favorite fro-yo shop at the end of the day, and just relax and spend time unwinding after the first day of homeschool. It’s something we don’t do that often, so it is extra special. Of course, you can choose any other ritual that your family enjoys together to end the day – just something small special way to celebrate and say, “We made it!”.

What do you think? Do you have any fun traditions that you like to do to start your homeschool year off on the right foot?  Leave a comment below if you have any you’d like to share!

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As a homeschooling mom, you want to make sure you have everything organized and ready-to-go to make your homeschool run the best way possible! I’ve created two other printable packs that will help you do just that: The Printable Homeschool Tracker & Zone Cleaning Printable Pack. I’d love for you to check them out!

It will also be helpful for you to make sure you have your homeschool portfolio or tracking system in place. I know it’s a long way off right now, but the end of the year will be here before you know it, and keeping documents and samples of student work organized as you go will be a tremendous help.

Finally, as you’re getting organized for your school year, make sure you have some fun homeschool swag to wear! Check out Homeschool Style Co. for tons of fun homeschool apparel and accessories, and use the coupon code BLOG15 to take 15% off your entire purchase.

Have a great homeschool year!

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