5 First Day of Homeschool Traditions We Love

A few simple ways to make the first day feel special, even when school is at the kitchen table.

It’s mid-August which means our school year is typically well underway by now. But this year, we lingered a little longer on summer and soaked up a few extra weeks before fully diving back into our homeschool routine.

My family thrives on a predictable rhythm (which is why one of the most enjoyable topics for me to write about is habits) so after a couple of months off of our normal routine we were all ready for it. Even my non-school-loving child was eager to begin, so I guess it really was time!

In case you missed it, Tara | Home Sweet Homeschool and I wrote a post together last month about Getting Ready for a New Homeschool Year and all the details on how to pull it off. But today, I wanted to share a very short and sweet post on how we actually do our 1st Day of School and how we make it a simple yet meaningful start to our year.

If you’re a homeschooling mama and need some fresh ideas on how to make your first day back just a little more exciting, feel free to use any of these ideas for your own family!

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1st Day of School Traditions We Love

1. A Fun Breakfast- Unless it’s a Saturday morning or a holiday, my kids always make their own simple breakfasts. This has been one of the best ways to encourage independence and makes our busy mornings less stressful when the older kids can make their own breakfasts. But on the first day of a new homeschool year, we always do the same special breakfast— chocolate covered sprinkle donuts and chocolate milk. It’s simple, highly anticipate by all the kids, and a rare treat that only makes its appearance one day a year!

   

2. Decorate the table- At the start of our homeschool journey, my grandma helped me sew this school-themed table runner. And 7 years later, we still love it! Like the donut breakfast, this table runner only comes out once a year. And when I dig it out of the cupboard, my kids squeal with delight at what’s about to happen. I also put new markers, pencils, and colored pencils out on the table to enhance the “new school year” theme plus a handwritten name tag and note for each child.

   

3. All About Me Posters- I found these free All About Me posters from My Science Doodles blog years ago and every year I have my kids fill them out on the first day of school. It’s so fun to see how they change their interests and favorite things from year to year. I hang these up on our art boards and usually only take them down a year later so we can compare and see how they’ve changed.

   

4. Take Everyone’s Pictures- Making an annual family yearbook is one of my favorite things to do (I’m planning on sharing a post about how I do them soon!) so taking milestone photos of my kids is a favorite way of documenting a new school year.

   

   

5. Start Slowly- I plan out our curriculum choices over the summer, but don’t actually begin all of them until the beginning of September. Instead, I like to ease into our year gently with adding one core subject each week— this makes the start of the year with multiple kids so much less overwhelming! Today, I did an L.A. lesson with each of my kids and they also did typing, 30 minutes of independent reading, handwriting, and we all did bible time together. Next week, we’ll add in math, the following week we’ll add history and by Labor Day we’ll be in the full swing of it all!

   

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As always, thank you for reading and following along! If you have any additional 1st day of school traditions, I’d love to hear about them— big or small! Stay tuned for our 26-27 curriculum choices, how I make my kid’s daily schedule cards, some downloadable rewards coupons, and a fun interview with a best-selling author on her new book!

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If you enjoyed this post, here’s a few others you might also appreciate…

• A Day in the Life of a Homeschool Mom of 5

• 3 Simple Systems That Keep Our Kids Motivated Every Day

• Our 25-26 Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Choices