5 Ways to Make the First Day of School a Fun Family Tradition

Back-to-school feelings are usually mixed. Many parents can’t wait for it to roll around, while others lament the end of a lackadaisical sunny season. Some kids are excited or nervous, and then others just don’t want to go.

No matter which group your family belongs to, there are ways you can make the first day of school memorable for years to come.

Yearly Time Capsule
This is a great way to capture your child’s feelings as the first day of school nears. Don’t let Pinterest-pressure stop you from putting this together! You don’t need a glue gun or glitter. Use a cardboard box, have your kids decorate it and include things like:

• First day of school photo
• A piece of paper with their height measurement
• Newspaper from that day

Write down what they’re excited/not excited about for the coming school year, goals for the year, and fun things like their favourite song and book.

Special Kids Dinner
Some families make a special breakfast, but first school mornings are usually a gong show of epic proportions while everyone adjusts to the new routine.

This is definitely not a time for us to attempt an Instagram-worthy breakfast, but dinner is a different story; we’re more relaxed and have time to talk about the day. This year the first day of school lands on a Taco Tuesday, so pull out a recipe and run with it!

First Day of School Book
You know it’s coming: the (dreaded) reading log. There’s no denying the benefits of reading are profound, so start the year off with a brand new book for each of your kids to get started.

The Neverending Story
Purchase a new notebook and write a few sentences to begin a story. For instance:

Once upon a time there was a boy named Charlie. It was the first day of school and as he walked to class he came across….

Each day your kids continue the story with a few sentences. This is a “no rules” story so let them be as silly as they want. At the end of the year you have a complete story you can read on the last day of school.

Posing in Last Year’s Clothes
Measuring our kids’ growth is something we all do. Have your kids wear the clothes they wore on the first day of school from the previous year to see how much they’ve grown. It also provides many hysterical moments, as they try to squeeze into too-small shirts and shorts.

No matter what you do to make the first day of school memorable, take a few moments to pat yourself on the back because you made it through another summer.

Written by: Sharon DeVellis, YMC.ca