15 Back-to-School Traditions Your Family Will Love!

Make your kids’ returns to school smoother and more enjoyable with the following back-to-school traditions. From special meals to movies and more, these ideas will help turn the transition from a dreaded occasion to an anticipated event!

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Back-to-school can be a tough time for kids – and parents! Saying “So long!” to summer, re-adjusting to the schooltime routine, and getting back into the school headspace can be a challenge. Even if your kids are excited to go back to school and see their friends, the transition likely doesn’t come without some end-of-summer blues.

15 Back-To-School Traditions

For a fantastic first day/week of school full of memory-making moments, try these back-to-school traditions. Turn the return to school into something your kids will look forward to year after (school) year!

Go on a Back-To-School Date – Try to take each of your kids on a final one-on-one date before school starts and schedules get crazy. Whether it’s back-to-school shopping, a lunch/dinner date, or a favorite summertime activity, this is a great way to bring closure to the summer and start the school year with overflowing love tanks.
Make a Special Back to School Meal – Whether it’s a fancy breakfast (I once saw the idea to make pancakes in the shape of each kid’s grade year, which I thought was so fun!), a notable packed lunch, or a favorite dinner, a special back-to-school meal could become a treasured back-to-school tradition!
Have Show-and-Tell at Dinner – Family dinners are a great time to share the day and spark meaningful conversation. Make it a tradition to have “First Day Show-and-Tell” during dinner, sharing everything that happened on the first day of school.
Read a Special Back-to-School Book – There are TONS of fun picture books that center around school and the new school year. Whether it’s The Pigeon HAS to Go To School, How to Catch a Class Pet, or How the Crayons Saved the School, choose a book that will get your kids in the school spirit.
Celebrate “School Year’s Eve” – We celebrate Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, so why not School Year’s Eve?? Get some noisemakers and confetti, make (or buy) some special treats, and bring in the new school year with a bang!
Write a Meaningful Message – Express your love, pump them up, and let them know you’re praying/cheering for them this year with a special back-to-school note. Put it next to their breakfast plate, slip a note in their lunchbox, or write them a sidewalk chalk message in the driveway.
Create a Back to School Soundtrack – In the days/weeks leading up the first day, collaborate with your kids to create a fun back-to-school playlist. Choose songs that will pump them up, lift them up, and energize them for their return to school.
Watch a School-Themed Movie – For older kids who are past the age of picture books (though younger kids would enjoy this, too!), a school-themed movie would be a great alternative.
Enjoy a Final Summer Adventure – Just because summer vacation is over, doesn’t mean summer, itself, is! Enjoying one more summer adventure (a camping trip, a pool party, a weekend overnight, etc.) the first weekend after school starts could be just the thing to ease those end-of-summer blues.
Make a Summer Memory Book – Put together a book of pictures, stories, and mementos from your summer vacation. Write down some of their interests and record their heights, and see how they change from year to year.
Create a School Year Bucket List – We often make bucket lists for summer vacation, so why not for the school year? Talk with your kids and brainstorm a list of goals they want to accomplish and activities you want to do as a family over the next nine months.
Plan a Special Activity for the First Day – Whether you do the same thing each year or mix it up for a fun surprise, plan an after-school celebration your kids (and you!) can look forward to. Our family’s tradition is going out for ice cream on the first night or first weekend.
Decorate Their Doors – Surprise your kids with a bedroom door decorated with balloons, streamers, and encouraging notes – it’ll be sure to bring smiles to their faces!
Give a Back-to-School Gift – I’m not one for gifts for every occasion, but a little something special could make the back-to-school transition a little easier (and more exciting) for your kids. A new book for the fall, customized school supplies, puzzles or building kits, or a personalized journal would all make great educational gifts to celebrate the return to school.
Have a Dry Run the Morning Before… and Get Donuts – I saw this idea somewhere, and I absolutely loved it! Having a “dry run” the morning before school starts is always a good way to prepare for back-to-school. Turn it into a treasured tradition by picking up donuts (and coffee for you!) once you’re ready.