5 fun first day of school activities for parents and kids

Back-to-school season is always a busy time for parents and kids, but summer’s end doesn’t mean the fun must stop. Choose one or two of these five fun first-day-of-school activities to celebrate the start of a new school year, whether your kids attend public school or homeschool.

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Photoshoot with first-day-of-school signs

As you approach the end of your list of summer activities for kids, start planning your first day of school photo shoot.

Capture memories with a back-to-school photo shoot to record your child’s growth and development each year. Add a fun and personal touch to your pic by giving your child a first day of school sign to hold before you start your shoot.

Use creative props such as a chalkboard, colorful poster boards or even cardboard cutouts in the shape of pencils or apples.

Look for a free printable first-day-of-school sign template to use with each child. Then customize it with their age, grade and year before snapping those pics.

Celebrate with special treats

Set a celebratory tone for the first day of school with a fun DIY balloon arch, garlands and your back-to-school signs.

Then begin your first day of school activities with a special breakfast. Remember to include your kids’ favorite morning treat. These treats help to reinforce the idea that a new school year is a special occasion and something to celebrate.

Back-to-school breakfasts could include chocolate chip pancakes, waffles with whipped cream or crepes with fresh fruit.

If your child takes their lunch to school, add a special cupcake as a treat. Write a personalized note wishing them a great first day in their new class and grade.

Alternatively, celebrate with an ooey-gooey first day of school dessert the whole family will enjoy. Serve a special cake or cookies in the shapes of schools, school buses, knapsacks or pencils.

“On the first day of school, we always get takeout or order pizza to celebrate. We also have a special dessert like ice cream bars or candy that I hide from the kids, so it’s a surprise. Everyone is usually excited to talk about their first day, so it’s a fun way to celebrate and eat dinner as a family while the kids share how it went.”

— Heidi Bruaw, Real Life of Lulu

Plan a goal-setting session

Yes, you can make goal setting one of your child’s most fun first day of school activities. 

However, it does take some creativity.

Start by asking your child to list a few things they’d like to achieve during the school year.

For example, they might want to finish their homework faster for more outdoor playtime. Or perhaps the goal is to achieve a higher math grade.

Explain to your child how setting goals can help them reach new achievements in school and life. Then encourage them to establish a new habit in their daily routine to help them achieve their goal. This could include attaching a new goal-oriented activity to a fun existing habit.

For example, if the goal is a better math grade, suggest adding a ten-minute review of the day’s math lessons to their after-school routine and right before their outdoor play time or sports practice.

Then purchase a student planner with a place for daily habit tracking to support your child’s new goal.

First day of school activities by subjects

Put an educational spin on your first-day celebrations with subject-specific activities.

If you’re a homeschooling family, make the first day of school memorable with a back-to-school-themed activity for each subject. Or if your children attend public school, try a couple of these ideas on the evening of their first day.

Math

For a fun math activity, show your younger elementary-school-aged child how to make math fun with a back-to-school color by numbers printable art pack and a new package of crayons or markers.

Language Arts

Choose a language arts activity based on your child’s age. Re-invent the “What I did on my summer break report or essay” and ask your elementary, middle-school or high-school-aged students to use their imagination and write a “What I WISH I did on my summer break” report.

Does your child enjoy pen and paper games? Spend 20 minutes playing hangman with a first-day-of-school theme. Use words such as student, books, school bus, schoolhouse, desk, etc.

Geography

Ease into geography with some digital exploration. Go online to research back-to-school traditions and dates around the world. 

Do the children in European, African and Asian countries start their new school year at the same time as your kids? Why or why not?

History

Another fun activity for the first day of school involves learning about what school was like 100 years ago.

What was it like in your grandparents’ time? Did the school year start in August or September? If possible, encourage your children to call grandparents or elderly friends to ask about their first day of school memories.

Look back at the previous first days of school

Children and parents alike often enjoy reminiscing about days gone by, including your child’s previous first days of school.

Show your kids their old pics from last August or September when they show up in your Facebook feed.

If you haven’t already, start collecting photos, completed first-day-of-school worksheets, back-to-school signs and other mementos in a scrapbook or file folder.

Or wind down your family’s first day of school activities by sharing a family bedtime story of your most memorable first day of school when you were a child.

Celebrate the first day of school as a family

Celebrating the first day of school as a family helps children understand a new school year is a new chapter in childhood. 

Preserve the memories with a short photo shoot or special food, and discuss their goals for the year. Enjoy one or two subject-specific back-to-school activities and reflect on previous memories to make this year’s back-to-school day extra special.

Sarita Harbour is a homeschooling mom and a long-time business and finance writer. Sarita created Thrive at Home to help homeschooling moms organize and manage their businesses, homeschooling and homemaking responsibilities without going insane.