10 Fun Back-to-School First Day Activities For Your Homeschool
The first day of homeschool sets the tone for the entire year so instead of going straight into the books, why not make it a celebration your kids look forward to? As homeschoolers, we have a special opportunity to make that first day back extra fun and personal for our children. To help you start the year off right, here are 10 ideas for fun Back-to-School First Day Activities!
1. Conduct an Student Interview
Do a fun Q&A where you ask your kids about their favorite subject, hobbies, and goals. You could even record it on video and make it a yearly tradition!
2. Go on a Field Trip or Special Outing
Rather than diving into curriculum, try having a special outing or field trip. You could tie this into one of the subjects your learning or just make it a fun day out and use it as an opportunity to talk about what is to come in this new school year.
3. Have a Special Treat
Make a special breakfast spread, bake a cake or cookies together or go out for ice cream as a family to celebrate their first day back to school.
4. Surprise Them with a Back-to-School Gift
Buy something for your child(ren) that they could use throughout the year that will encourage them to continue learning or exploring an interest they have. This could be a new book/series, new journal for writing, a new baseball glove or anything else they might be interested in.
5. Shop for School Supplies Together
If your children are like mine, they love choosing their own supplies – pencil holders, binders, etc. Stop and get a special drink and go back to school shopping together to get them excited for the new year.
6. Plan a Fun Family Gift for Homeschool
Buy or plan for special homeschool gift to do/use as a family. For example, you could order a personalized puzzle or buy a fun game to play together for your first day activity.
7. Start with a Slow & Cozy Day
Sometimes even the big exciting gestures can feel stressful, especially for more introverted children. A nice cozy day at home, watching a movie or documentary, or reading a book together could be a nice, calm way to start the year stress-free.
8. Have a Special Theme Day
This could be something random, like Hawaii-themed or a fun costume day, or this could be something related to what you’re studying (dress up as explorers if you’ll be doing geography or use plant-themed decor if you’re studying botany, etc.) This is a great way to make it fun and also introduce a topic at the same time.
9. Create Vision Boards
Create your own vision boards for the year and include homeschool goals as well as personal interests. Have your children cut out images from magazines, print images, draw, use stickers, etc. Fill the table with art supplies and be sure to join in and create your own too!
10. Make a Time Capsule
Have your children draw a self portrait, answer a questionnaire or write a letter to their future selves. Pack it all into a box/container to open on the last day of school or the first day of school next year!
Share Your Experience
No matter which activity you choose, the goal is to start your homeschool year with joy, connection, and excitement! Do you have any first-day traditions in your homeschool? Share your ideas and experiences in the comments or tag us on Instagram at @mightylittlemindsblog!
Wishing you a great start to your school year!
Looking for more planning resources? Check out our Planning & Organization page!
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