As summer comes to a close, it is time to start thinking about returning to school and everything that goes into a new school year. For parents and children, the back-to-school schedule and mindset transitions can require some adjustment time after a relaxing and fun summer. If you want to set your child up for success this year, bedtime and morning routines are important. Start the routines at least a week before the first day of school so that they are comfortable with it on the big day.

Whether or not your child might experience anxiety upon returning to school, establishing fun first day of school traditions can be a great way to start the new school year off on the right foot. That’s why the team at Sawyer created this downloadable back to school sign that you can print and decorate with your child as part of your first day of school traditions. Keep reading for more ideas and inspiration! 

• First day of school traditions 
• Back to school sign ideas 
• Night before first day of school ideas

First day of school traditions

The first day of a new school year can be stressful for both parents and children. Separation anxiety has become increasingly more common during the pandemic. If you and your child have spent more time together during the summer than the school year, you both might start feeling some butterflies in your stomach before the bus comes. 

Setting up back to school traditions can help ease this transition and make the first day of school not only extra special, but also exciting and fun. Here are some of our favorite first day of school traditions that you can try out with your family this year.

1. Wear something new. Putting on a new outfit will help your child tangibly feel how the day is special. Plus, shopping for the new clothes can be something that you do together during the summer to prepare for the first day of school.
2. Sit down to a great breakfast (and pack a special lunch). Skipping breakfast is never recommended because children need brain food to give them energy for school. However, you and your child might enjoy sitting down to an especially fun breakfast on the first day of school. Then, let them know you’re thinking of them during the day by packing them a special lunch with a nice note or an extra treat.
3. Take a first day of school picture. Make or print a back to school sign where you can put information about your child like their age, the school year, and their teacher’s name. Then, take a picture of them with the sign in their new first day of school outfit. This is a quick and easy tradition that will make for great memories each year.
4. Go through their rose, bud, and thorn. One of our favorite first day of school traditions actually happens at the end of the day. Once your child has returned from school, sit down with them (maybe at dinner) and go through their rose, bud, and thorn from the day and for the school year. The rose is the best thing that they did or that happened, the bud is something they are the most excited about for the year to come, and the thorn is something that happened that they did not enjoy. It’s a great practice to help them think about this school year and how they can make it as successful as possible.

Back to school sign ideas

Back to school signs have grown in popularity in the past decade or so. Usually, these signs include information about the child such as their name, teacher’s name, school name, grade, year, and age. Some back to school signs also include the child’s desired career, their favorite subject in school, something that they love at that age, their favorite color, and more.

Here are some of our favorite back to school sign ideas that you can buy, download, or make yourself!

1. Free printable back to school sign. We made this back to school sign that you can download and print for free! Then, fill out the sections and let your child go wild decorating. This can be a great addition to your first day of school traditions and help your child feel more independent before heading off to school.
2. First day of school chalkboard. If you are looking to purchase one back to school sign for your child’s whole school career, a chalkboard is a good way to go! You can personalize this one with your child’s name and then use it year after year.
3. Back to school whiteboard sign. Similarly, this whiteboard makes it easy to reuse the sign each year. But, you and your child might have more fun with a whiteboard because you can use multiple colored markers and decorate it more!
4. First day of school cookies. Are you a baker? If so, you and your child might enjoy baking some first day of school cookies, which you can decorate with their age and grade. Then, let them hold up the cookies in your picture and enjoy them in their lunch later!

Night before first day of school ideas

Making the return to school fun and exciting starts the night before. Celebrate School Year’s Eve with these great night before first day of school ideas!

1. Have a dinner party. “Dinner party” is a loose term when it comes to little ones, but you can do this in a few ways. You can have a School Year’s Eve dinner party with your child’s friends and their families or just your child’s friends or just your family! Whatever you think would make your child the most comfortable and get them the most excited for the upcoming school year. 
2. Journal. Give your child some prompts to think about as they prepare for a new year of school. Ask them to write their responses in a journal and they can come back to these questions and answers in the middle and end of the year to see how they are doing. For example, what are they most excited to learn this year? Is anything about this school year causing them anxiety? What are they interested in doing outside of classes?
3. Spend quality time together. The night before school starts up again is one of the last evenings that you and your child will have before homework and after school activities take over. Make the most of this time and just be together! Play a game, take a family walk, or just chat with them as a way to celebrate this time and relax together.
4. Prepare for the next day. Work with your child to develop the good habit of preparing for a big day the night before. Help them pack everything that they need for the first day of school and lay out their clothes so that they can go to bed knowing they are ready.

We hope this list of first day of school traditions and School Year’s Eve ideas has provided you with inspiration for a great return to school. For more guidance on back to school transition management, check out our guide. Let’s make this year the best one yet! If you are looking for great in-person and online activities and after school programs for children of all ages, check out Sawyer!