Hopefully you’re still enjoying what’s left of your summer vacation, but there’s no denying that school is just around the corner! The beginning of the school year can always bring some mixed feelings for kids, but you can help make it a fun time of year to get excited about by creating some fun traditions to ring in the new school year! You can use one or two of these ideas, or go crazy and do them all!

*Have your kids get visited by the “Back to School Fairy” or the “Magic School Bus”! This is basically a fun way to give your kids a few new things for the school year- a new lunchbox, crayons, binders, etc. You could have someone doorbell ditch your home and leave the goodies on the porch, or you could have them wake up to a kitchen table decked out in streamers and balloons and a few fun goodies! What a cute way to get them excited for the new school year!

*Start the day with a special breakfast. You want to make sure they have a good balanced breakfast on their first day of school, so go all out! Make fun shaped pancakes, bacon/sausage, scrambled eggs, or whatever meal your kids look forward to most. You can even make pancakes in the shape of the number of the grade your child is going into, or just decorate with frosting ;).

*Have a special “Boo-hoo” breakfast with your mommy friends :). If you’re one of those parents who is sad to see your child go, then host a special breakfast for your mommy friends (or get some French toast from Kneaders!) to make the morning a little easier on yourself. Or I suppose it could be seen as a celebration if you’re not so sad to see them go ;).

*Put a special note in their lunchbox. You obviously want to pack something they would enjoy eating as well, but definitely include a special note! Whether they are having a great first day, or are anxiously awaiting the bus ride home, a sweet note from home reminding them of how much they are loved will go a long way!

*Everyone loves after school snacks. How about making a giant cookie for each child and with frosting, write which grade they are starting? Or make an adorable bus cake to celebrate! It doesn’t have to be fancy- it might even be fun to let your kids help you decorate it before digging in!

*Have a back to school campfire. If you have a firepit in your backyard or have some campfire sites nearby, think about starting a s'mores tradition- let your kids build their own s’mores and then spend the evening talking about their first day/week back at school. This would be even more meaningful if you also encouraged them to talk about goals they have for the upcoming year and ways you could help them achieve those!

*Do a special kid’s dinner! Mac n’ cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets- whatever your kids really love! You could even do buffet style, where they can have a little bit of ALL their favorites- definitely a fun way to get them excited about the first day of school!

*Follow the German tradition of making a schultute (“school cone”) for your child! Fill it with school supplies, cute little notes, and a few fun treats! What a cute way to start the year! You can just use basic plain paper, or get super creative and create a giant ice cream cone- whatever floats your boat ;). The image below shows a couple ideas of things you could put in your child’s schultute.

*Use dinnertime to talk about highs and lows. Sometimes our kids don’t think to tell us about certain things, and one tool we’ve used in our family that I have found really beneficial is to ask each person what their high and low was for the day. It gives everyone a chance to bond and talk about what gets them most excited and happy, as well as what was hard for them. You can tailor this to your individual family’s needs as well- it could be just one high and one low, you could ask how they were able to serve someone that day, you could have them name one or two nice things their siblings did for them that day, etc. Use dinnertime as a way to have meaningful family conversations, since you’re all away from each other the rest of the day! This has become something my kids really look forward to, and I’m sure your kids will appreciate it too!

Do you have beginning of school year traditions that you’d like to share? Let’s hear all about them in the comments below!