First Day Of School Traditions

As I am writing this, my oldest son will be starting kindergarten in exactly a month. I can’t believe I just typed those words! We’ve done preschool for two years, but somehow the thought of sending my firstborn off to kindergarten is enough to put me into a tailspin, flipping through his baby books and drinking wine straight from the bottle. While I’ve gone through several emotional stages as I prepare for my son’s approaching milestone, I know I want it to be a special and exciting time for him. I love the idea of celebrating traditions within families as those help to create a bond between the parent and child. Back in the 80s when I was a kindergartner, my parents took the customary first-day-of-school photo as I stood on our front porch. I held my pink monogrammed backpack and Care Bears lunch box with the utmost pride and looking at that photo always makes me smile. Now it’s my turn as a parent to begin those fun rituals that will recognize my son’s first day of school. I’ve compiled a list of traditions I’m planning for my son’s first day of kindergarten, along with that first photo of course! 

Beginning Of School Interview Or Video

These are many ideas on Pinterest for the beginning of school interview or you can make your own. The idea is to capture your child’s interests, likes and dislikes at that particular age. As you repeat the interview each year, you’ll be able to look back and see how your child’s interests have grown and changed over time. Type their answers or record your child answering the questions in a video. I saw a variation of this where the child lays down on the ground and the parent writes the child’s name, year, grade, interests etc. in chalk. Take a photo of the child and the words written in chalk for a keepsake. The only downside to this is that my sweet babes would ruin their school clothes by laying down on the ground in the chalk, so do this one at your own risk if you have dirt magnets for children like I do! 

Oversized T-Shirt With Graduation Year & Hand Prints

A back-to-school t-shirt is a great way to document your child’s first day of school and to celebrate the start of each subsequent school year. Add the child’s name, high school graduation year and a spot for a yearly hand print. Take an annual photo of your child wearing the shirt on the first day of the school year. This tutorial gives you the steps for making the shirt or you can get creative and DIY. 

Oh The Places You’ll Go 

I had always thought of the classic Dr. Seuss book as a high school graduation gift. Recently, a few friends shared with me a way to utilize this book as a thoughtful tradition for younger children. Read Oh The Places You’ll Go with your child the night before school begins. Write a special note in the book and at the end of the year have the teacher write a note to the student, too.

Special Food Or Meal On The First Day 

My kids love food-themed celebrations like birthday pizzas or cinnamon rolls in the shape of their age to mark milestones. Consider a special meal or food to celebrate the first day of school. Think about what works for your family’s schedule. Our mornings can be rushed, but I’m planning to wake up my son early on his first day to have a special breakfast, like these cute pencil waffles. Pack a treat and encouraging note in your child’s lunch or maybe a first-day-of-school fondue dinner is more your style. 

What first-day-of-school traditions do you celebrate with your child? 

Lauren Davis
Lauren and her husband Dan live in El Dorado with their two boys (born 2011 and 2014). They have added a goldendoodle, a hedgehog and two cats to their family in recent years and are expecting a daughter to join their crew at the end of 2020! She is an elementary school secretary, a member of the Junior League of Wichita and the Tri-County CASA Board of Directors. Lauren spent much of her childhood in Lawrence, Kansas and moved to El Dorado about ten years ago after her husband graduated from pharmacy school. She gets by on a lot of coffee and loves all the messy, fun, wild and wonderful parts of being a mom.