Homeschool Back-to-School Traditions
I remember the first day of school for me as a young girl was always marked by a new outfit and fresh school supplies. There wasn't a back-to-school photo shoot or a special breakfast, so when our girls reached school age, I didn't have a thought or need to create back-to-school traditions for them.
Back-to-school is among us; finding a way to make that first day special can take time and coordination. As I reflect back on our earlier years of homeschooling, I recall launching into the school year around the same time as our community’s Home School Not Back to School Picnic. This was a fun time to connect with other homeschoolers and allowed my daughters to kick off a new school year with others who didn’t attend traditional school. I learned this was important for them because our first year left us on an island without much interaction with other homeschool families. By connecting with other families and hearing their homeschool stories, I also learned that there was a whole world of not-back-to-school homeschool traditions that I could consider incorporating into our journey.
As we get closer to the end of our homeschool journey, I must admit that I have yet to successfully do the same things or activities each year. As you know, a tradition is a long-established custom that has been passed on. I guess I’m just not a traditional person. But, a few things happen each year no matter what— decluttering and new pencils. I’ll take these traditions and our willingness to try new things to help us kick off the year. If you’re looking to make some traditions for your family, I have three practical suggestions that can help you set off on your path.
Tips for Creating Back-to-School Traditions
Involve the family. I am guilty of trying to come up with everything on my own, but homeschooling is a family thing, so asking my family what some things they would like to do to mark the beginning of the school year have been helpful. I have found that they have ideas that are just as fun as mine. One year we marked the first day of school with bike rides to the school playground with dad. There was great joy in having dad at home with us on the first day of school. Over the years, work called him on the first day, but we were thrilled for him to commemorate the new year with us. You can check out Middle School Homeschool Traditions to see other ways we’ve started the school year.
What back-to-school suggestions has your family shared?
Try out new resources. There are plenty of online printables and ideas to help you develop a few back-to-school traditions. We’ve used online surveys from shops on Teachers Pay Teachers, other websites, and the Target Dollar Spot. Surveys are a simple way to help kids focus on their goals for the school year and can show how they’ve grown over the year. If your kids are older, you may consider using a planner to help them start tracking their time and goals in a more organized way. Doing these activities can be a fun way to ease back into sitting at the table, desk, or wherever you homeschool.
Go with the natural flow. Each family has its unique qualities. Some traditions would not work for us because they are not natural to the make-up of our family, such as getting in the car, driving around, and returning home to start the school day wouldn't work for us because that just isn't our thing. But, playing a game together, running around the playground, or going out to lunch at a sit-in restaurant would be right up our alley. Back-to-school traditions should be fun for YOUR family and not stressful. It might make the event a little more frustrating than enjoyable if it's not natural to you.
Over the years, we have incorporated many ideas, and our tradition formed into doing something new and old together, from taking first-day photos to planning a field trip at the beginning of the school year. You may also find that the tradition is just getting back into learning and finding your flow, but no matter what your traditions are, I hope you and your family have a wonderful time learning together.
This post originally appeared on Joy in the Ordinary on August 11, 2016, and has been updated.