Fun first day of school traditions to do with your kids

Last Updated on November 16, 2024

Getting your kids excited about the return to school isn’t easy, but something that you can do to make it easier, as well as minimise any worries they may feel, is to start some school traditions.

There’s so much that goes into getting organised for back to school. From coming up with school lunch ideas and school snack ideas, finding ways to make the school run less stressful, and even settling first day of school nerves, having some fun school traditions can make the back to school organisation worth it.

Here are some first day of school traditions that you can try, if this is something you’re interested in.

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An end of holiday activity

One school tradition that you can do is to plan an end of school holiday activity that you know your children will enjoy.

Some budget friendly school holiday activity ideas that you may like to plan include:

• A beach day
• A cinema visit
• An outing to your kid’s favourite farm
• A swim at your local lido, pool, or water park
• A day out at a museum
• A family weekend away

First day of school breakfast

Preparing a special first day of school breakfast is a really fun way to mark back to school.

Some ideas are:

• Pancakes
• French toast
• Breakfast cookies
• Muffins

Here are some more first day of school breakfast ideas that you could try as well.

School supplies shopping

Letting your kids choose their own school supplies may encourage them to use them, and take better care of them.

Some school supplies you may need include:

• School bag
• Pencil case
• Pencils
• Pencil sharpener
• Crayons
• Erasers
• Child‑safe scissors
• Lunch box
• Water bottle
• Name labels to label school supplies

Stationery scavenger hunt

Once your kid’s school supplies have been purchased, a unique back to school tradition is a stationery scavenger hunt.

This involves hiding your kid’s school supplies, and giving them clues that they need to work out to find them.

If you have younger children, this is a great way to get them excited to go back to school, as well as getting them used to following instructions, which they’ll need to start doing pretty soon.

Read back to school books

This is a particularly great first day of school tradition if you have a child who is starting school for the first time.

Reading some school themed books can help to calm first day nerves, and help your children to understand what starting school means, as well as giving them an idea about what a school day may look like.

Some school themed books include:

• The Colour Monster Goes to School
• Starting School
• Why do I have to go to school?
• Welcome to Dinosaur School
• Little Tiger Starts School

First and last day of school photo

This is one of the school traditions that I like to do with my boys, which involves taking a photo of your children on their first and last day of school, so you can see how much they’ve changed during the school year.

When doing this, you could get your children to hold up a sign saying what they want to be when they’re older, so you can track how their interests change over time.

Additionally, you can take photos of your kids separately, and then together, and edit them by using a photo editor online, with your kids posing in the same spot each year, or in a spot of your choice.

Recording your kid’s height

Another great way to see how much your children have changed during the school year is to record their height, making sure to also record the date their height was taken.

Back to school party

Having a back to school party with some of your kid’s friends is a great way for them to get back in contact with friends they may not have seen in a long time.

Doing this can help your children to re-establish any bonds they formed with their friends before school finished, as well as minimise future friendship issues your children may have.

One on one time

As well as being a nice way to spend quality time with kids, having one on one time with your children before they go back to school is a great way to discuss any worries they may have about the return to school.

Back to school wish list

Another great school tradition is getting your kids to make a back to school wish list.

This involves getting your kids to write down anything they wish for during their school year, which may include:

• What they’d like to achieve
• What friends they’d like play dates with
• Anything they’d like to learn
• Extra-curricular activities they’d like to try

Encouraging them to work through the items on their wish list is a great way to keep them motivated to get through the school year as best as they can.

Lunchbox notes

Adding a lunchbox note to your kid’s school lunch is a nice way to let them know you’re thinking about them.

You can leave a heartfelt message, or to lighten the mood a funny lunchbox note that contains a joke.

First day after school treat

Giving your kids a first day of school after school treat, whether it’s the same treat each year, or something new each year, can help them to look forward to their first day of school.

Some treat ideas include:

• Visiting the cinema
• Playing at the park
• Going out for dinner
• Having an at home movie night
• Making sundaes

First day of school traditions – a recap

First day of school traditions are a great way to make the return to school less stressful, and help to minimise back to school nerves.

Some back to school traditions that you may like to try include:

• Planning a special end of school holiday activity
• Making a first day of school breakfast that your kids love eating
• Going school supplies shopping with your kids
• Doing a scavenger hunt with the newly purchased school supplies
• Reading some school themed books, which is a great school tradition if you have a child who is starting school for the first time, because it can help to make them less nervous
• Taking a first and last day of school photo, or recording their height, so you can see how much they’ve changed during the school year
• Oganising a back to school party with their friends
• Having some one on one time with your children so you can talk through any worries they may have
• Getting your children to write a back to school wish list of the things they want to achieve or do during the school year
• Writing a heartfelt or funny lunchbox note
• Having a first day of school treat, which may include a cinema or park visit, going out for dinner, or anything else you know your kids will appreciate

What school traditions do you think you’ll start with your kids?

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