Homeschoolers often celebrate “back to school” with fun and different traditions than other families whose children attend school.
Homeschoolers also do many of the same things as school families. We buy new supplies and clothes with all the sales, tax-free days, and coupons. We like the first day photos.
Homeschoolers look forward to the day when school kids go back to classrooms and all the fun places we love to frequent aren’t busy with summer crowds anymore. But even homeschoolers aren’t gathering or doing co-ops or meeting up this fall.
My kids used to wave goodbye to their neighborhood friends who rode the bus to school while we began our homeschool day. They often waited for their bus at the end of the day to greet their friends again.
This school year looks very different for many families. Some school districts are offering options for in person full or part time attendance, or online remote classes.
No matter what kind of school year our kids are beginning, making the first day of the new school year a special day may help ease jitters or disappointments. We need to make great memories with our kids.
Celebrating Not Back to School
- Night before school party
- Special breakfast or dinner night before
- Pictures to commemorate the new year (preferably with their consent to post online)
- Memory board or interview page
- Gifts or treats
- Look through new school materials and books together to get familiar.
- Set up a work area for each child to complete assignments.
- Special back to school books. It’s hard to find books celebrating homeschool.
- New clothes fashion show. It could be new loungewear or pajamas!
- Schultüte – traditional school cones for 1st graders in Germany. Another Schulüte DIY idea here. DIY auf Deutsch hier.
- Ice cream!!!
- Chalk drawings in the driveway or sidewalk
- Fresh flowers, especially roses for new schoolers! I love the Waldorf rose ceremony.
- Discuss plans, desires, and dreams for the year
- Make calm jars with glitter, oil, food coloring, and water.
- Make tie-dye shirts or bags.
- Go hiking or do a nature scavenger hunt.
- Picnic lunch
- Bowling
- Pool or lake party
- Parties with a fun theme, even if it’s just immediate family
- Movie night
My kids are older now and we still try to do fun things, but we don’t even really have one single official back to school day. We just kind of ease into it sometime the end of August, transferring from one history cycle to the next and new math books and maybe new science and foreign language.
You might also like:
How do you make the first day of school special?
Linking up: Grammys Grid, Pinch of Joy, Eclectic Red Barn, House on Silverado, Jenerally Informed, Stroll Thru Life, OMHG, CWJ, Shelbee on Edge, LouLou Girls, April Harris, Suburbia, Random Musings, Anita Ojeda, Jeanne Takenaka, InstaEncouragements, Blue Sky at Home, Soaring with Him, Anchored Abode, Ducks in a Row, Fluster Buster, Ridge Haven, Ginger Snap, Try it Like it, Artful Mom, Penny’s Passion, Slices of Life, Simply Beautiful, Modern on Monticello, Everything, Create with Joy, Books and More, Simply Sweet Home, Answer is Choco, Being a Wordsmith, Cottage Market, Oak Hill,
I love the post and would like to share on my blog marciescaringhands,weebly.com. My blog is a parent resource blog and think sharing this post would be helpful for getting back to school. Please let me know if its to share.
Please do share a link to my post on your blog, but do not re-publish my text in its entirety. Thanks!
I’m a homeschooling mom, too. I love the ideas you have here!
I saw your link on the Thoughtful Thursdays Link Up. Such a great reminder to make special days for our kids. Thanks for all the ideas for how to do that!
Typically in year’s past we meet up with our homeschooling friends for a not back to school beach day! It’s our intro to the school year and we just love it (as we tend to avoid the beach all summer long when it’s crowded). I don’t think that’s going to work this year though!
ah, I miss beach days when we lived in Hawaii!
I’m so glad you shared this post with Hearth and Soul, Jen. So many kids are desperately missing school, and this is such a nice way to still make good memories. You are so right about how important that is. Thank you so much for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Community. Take care.
What wonderful ideas for Not Back To School! Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJ’s.
This are all great suggestions and I am actually planning a picnic the weekend before my son starts school. I think it helps with the mood and also knowing that going back to school is a big deal.
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Jennifer, thank you for sharing this on Traffic Jam Weekend! It has been chosen as a fave feature for this week’s party that goes live on Thursday at 5:00 pm CST.
Thanks so much!
Jennifer, what fun ideas you offer here! My kids have spent their school years attending school, so we haven’t had the opportunities to do most of these. You must be an intentional mom as you make these memorable experiences a priority with your children. One of my goals throughout. mothering has been to make memories with our kids. One is now graduated, and the other will be a junior this year.
I wish I had done all these fun things for back to school! Some years were so hard being in the middle of a military move that we were barely surviving. My youngest three are 11, 14, and 15 now and only seem to want food. This year has been hard on everyone.
I hope your kids have a great new school year whenever you start again. Thanks for sharing your tips on the linkup this week. #HomeMattersParty
We do a funny “back to school” pic poking fun at doing school at the outside table or some other quirky thing that is so different than regular school. We’re definitely going to have to borrow some others from your list! Thanks for sharing this with us on the Homestead Blog Hop!