10 Super Fun-Filled First Day of Homeschool Traditions

It’s back to school time!  Yay!  Here in our house, we’re all pretty stoked about our first day of homeschool.  Papers, pencils, and books, oh my!  Just the smell of new books and the sight of fresh crayons is so exciting!  Are you with me?   I guess that’s the teacher in me coming out…

Seriously, what makes back to school truly super special are the first day of school traditions we do year after year to celebrate the milestone of a new school year.

There are so many incredibly fun ways you can make the first day of homeschool memorable and fun! Many of these work for the first day of school for public and private school, too.

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First Day of Homeschool Traditions

First Day of Homeschool Traditions #1: Kick it off with a Big Breakfast

Some days, we just grab cereal or breakfast bars and off we go!  But not on the first day of homeschool.  One of our favorite first day of school traditions is a big hearty breakfast! 

Some families make pancakes and give each child 1 pancake per grade level.  Just watch your 10^th grader try to eat 10 pancakes!  It’s fun to see the stacks grow each year!  Another idea is to use an old, washed ketchup bottle or salad dressing bottle to pour pancake batter on the griddle in the shape of the number.  A made-to-order grade-level pancake!

We have also tried a trip to the donut shop to kick off our year.  Anything out of ordinary will make it special!

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First Day of School Traditions #2: Decorate for the First Day of Homeschool!

I try to decorate the kitchen table (and sometimes the classroom, too) with a little bit of party décor to make it festive and fun.  This year, I found these adorable napkins that said, “Oh Happy Day” that were just right for our first day of school traditions.  Add a few party hats and balloons.  It’s a special day!

First Day of School Traditions #3: Celebrate a New Grade

Each child gets a number candle featuring their grade level.  For kindergarten, you can do a “K” candle or just a simple, normal birthday candle.   And of course, you must have somewhere to stick the candle!  We have tried different things through the years, including the stacks of pancakes, but this year is was blueberry muffins.  The candles sit so nicely on the muffin and don’t fall over.  Plus, blueberry muffins are just delicious.  Yum!

First Day of Homeschool Traditions #4: Sing a Back to School Song

Yep! We have a back to school song as one of our traditions! First, we light the candles all at the same time for all kids and then…we sing!  Our song is ridiculously simple, but we sing it every year.  Go ahead, give it a try. (To the tune of Happy Birthday, of course).

Happy 1^st day of school! Happy 1^st day of school! Happy 1^st day of school! Happy 1^st day of school!

Then make a wish & blow out the candle!  See, how simple can it get?

First Day of Homeschool Traditions #5: Snap some Photos

We couldn’t have a first day of school traditions list without mentioning photos for Mom!  I think just about every mom makes their kids hold up the little grade level signs and pose for a photo on the first day!  This doesn’t have to be extensive or Pinterest-worthy!  Moms love it – kids hate – and yet somehow it communicates to them that they are SO loved!  This year, I tried to make it painless, so we made super easy paper signs and just snapped a quick pic! I’m still processing that this year we have one in high school, one in middle school, one in elementary, and one in diapers! We decided that the tiny one should be our school mascot!

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First Day of Homeschool Traditions #6: Have a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Next up is a ribbon cutting ceremony.  In our house, we have a designated school room.  So, each year, we place a big ribbon across the entrance!  It can be fun to put multiple ribbons from side-to-side or in a big X shape, so several children can get it on the cutting action all at once.  We have a countdown and then – snip!  The kids slice open the ribbon and rush in! I’m not sure why this is so delightful, but it is by far one of their favorite traditions.

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First Day of Homeschool Traditions #7: Say the Pledge & Raise the Flag

Right along with the ribbon cutting ceremony, we like to raise the American flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  In public schools, most elementary students recite this everyday as part of the morning announcements.  In homeschool settings, parents may choose to handle it differently, but our civic obligations are an important aspect of schooling that all children need to be taught.

This year, my son took it upon himself to create his own homemade flag. (Umm…looks like we need to work on the correct number of stars and stripes…I see a lesson coming).  He also created a flag stand out of PVC pipes and a pulley system to raise and lower it.  So, the kids all joined in raising it in ceremony before the first day of school began.

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First Day of Homechool Traditions #8: Prayer

The most important thing we include every year in our first day of school traditions is a time of prayer.  First, we thank God for the opportunity to go to school, for access to books, paper, and other school supplies.  We praise him for a comfortable school environment and freedom to learn from home.  Then, we ask God to bless our home, to bless our learning, and pray that he might be glorified through each one of us in the coming year. 

First Day of Homeschool Traditions #9: First of Day of Homeschool Presents

Somewhere along the line, we started the first day of school tradition of school supplies in gift form!  Naturally, the supplies each child needs vary year to year depending on grade level and coursework.  Some families make a big deal of going school supply shopping together, which is another fun back to school tradition, but my kids enjoy it when I pick out a bunch of fun stuff and surprise them with it in gift form.  They really look forward to their school present!  We keep it pretty typical – pencils, crayons, markers, and scissors – but some years I shake it up with something fun and a little unnecessary like a pom-pom pen or a snazzy water cup.  It’s the little dollar store things that make them smile!

First Day of Homeschool Traditions #10: Ice-cream Celebration!

We wrap up the day by loading up the car and heading for ice-cream!  The first day of homeschool in the bag is worth celebrating!  From brownie ice-cream sundaes to mint-chocolate chip milkshakes to gummy worms & dirt malts – nothing says congratulations like ice-cream on a hot August afternoon.  Yay!  We did it and we’re off to a great start!

Fun-filled First Day of School Traditions for your Homeschool

So, honestly, we don’t really do a whole lot of actual work on the first day of homeschool.  It is more about learning how to learn and setting your students up for success.  But, it is an incredibly important first step!   

After all the fun-filled morning activities, we also settle down for a time of orientation into our school year. We gather and talk about things like our school rules (yes, even homeschools need school rules!) and our daily routine. We set learning goals and go over our coursework and how to use our workboxes to keep us organized. The goal for the day is simply to make sure each child knows exactly what to do and how to do it so they can begin their school work with confidence.

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New beginnings are special.

A fun-filled, exhilarating first day with family sets the tone for the entire homeschool year. Make memories out of the milestones! Each new year brings the exciting expectation of new knowledge and new adventures.

I would love to hear how your family made the first day of school special when you were a child or your back to school traditions with your children today.  Leave me a comment below and share!