It’s that time of year! It’s the time when you’re stocking up on new notebooks, crayons in one piece, and breaking open the new books. It’s time for the first day of school!
Wait, homeschoolers don’t have a first day of school, do they? Their life is all about school so there’s no reason to celebrate a new grade level and all that jazz, right?
No way!! Homeschooled kids grow and change just like kids in any other education setting. Their accomplishments and milestones need to be celebrated and enjoyed and appreciated.
The great thing about homeschooling though, is that you can celebrate that first day of school ANY way you want! Here are 25 fun ideas to truly enjoy the freedom that comes with celebrating the first day of school, homeschool style!
Semi-Traditional Ideas:
1) Take First Day of School pictures in front of the fireplace….or on the sofa! Visit A Speckled Owl for more fun Back-to-School photo ideas!
2) Wake everyone up early and get ready to catch the school….mini van to go out for breakfast.
3) Go “Back-to-School” shopping….while everyone else is in class!
4) Finish your school day with ice cream at your local parlor.
5) Go shopping for a new school uniform….also known as pajamas!
PJs – the official uniform of homeschoolers around the world!
6) Visit your local bookstore and let everyone pick a new book to start the year.
7) Have dinner out at your favorite family restaurant.
Travel Ideas:
8) Kick off the year with a visit to the nearest museum related to your studies for the year.
A bust of Marcus Aurelius at the Art Institute Chicago. A visit to the Institute would be a perfect way to start a study of different time periods of art, or even ancient history.
9) There are homeschool days at amazing venues all over the place! Kick your school year off with an adventure at an event like Williamsburg’s Homeschool Days or The Homeschool Festival at the Biltmore.
10) Start your year with a back-to-school adventure! Visit the beach, mountains, or a fun city to kick off your school year.
11) Interview your kids and create a Back-to-School newspaper for each year.
12) Start the year with a day of hiking and nature journaling.
Taking a hike is always a good way to start any adventure, and a year of homeschooling is no different!
Wacky Ideas:
13) Have a messy science day complete with gelatin, slime, and at least one erupting volcano!
14) Invite friends over for a “Not” Back to School sleepover and late movie night.
15) Take a field trip to the nearest wacky, interesting, or silly landmark or museum.
16) Create a silly family tradition for your first day of school. Some ideas: Ice Cream for Dinner Night, Chili Cook Off Night, Water Balloon Fight Day
What’s better on a hot summery day than a water balloon fight with friends?
Group Ideas:
17) Host a “Not” Back to School party at your nearest trampoline or inflatable park.
18) Invite everyone in your homeschool group to a “Not” Back to School party at your nearest pool.
19) Have a bonfire and s’mores night with your local homeschool group.
You’ve got to love a crisp fall evening with a bonfire, family, friends, and s’mores!
20) Go camping with several families for the first week of school.
21) Host a Nerf battle at your nearest park.
22) Hold an Old-Fashioned Game Day with your friends with games like Marbles, Jacks, and Old Maid.
Ideas for Giving Back:
23) Instead of Back-to-School Shopping for more notebooks you may not use, take the kids shopping to fill a back pack for a child in need.
24) Challenge your family to 10 random acts of kindness for the day.
25) Start the year with a visit to your local nursing home to play board games.
26) Spend the morning packing your family’s shoebox for Operation Christmas Child.
Looking forward to a great year of homeschooling with your kids? Check out these other cool TCHSL posts for more ideas:
35 STEM Books to Ignite Your Child’s Curiosity: Grow your child’s curiosity with this list of 35 fun and interesting STEM books
How to Easily Create Your Family’s Homeschool Mission Statement: Your family’s homeschool mission statement is the foundation of your homeschool life. Use our 5 easy steps to create a strong mission for your family to focus on during your homeschool years.
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This turned out so cute!! Great ideas!
Great ideas!
We always take our fave outdoor field trips (zoo, beach, park, etc) or go out of town right after Labor Day when everyone is back in school. The weather is still nice and there are ZERO crowds! After Labor Day tourist prices go down (hotels, attractions, vacays etc) As far as tourist pricing go, after Labor Day they drop drastically. We also go to the fair in the first week everyone is back to public school! September is kind of our mini summer break as we homeschool year round.
We love to spend the “new” year camping with fellow homeschoolers. The campgrounds are empty and it’s still warm enough to swim!
Great ideas! We spend back to school week at the beach, so I’ve been doing yearly “not” back to school portraits on the empty shoreline <3