Back To School Traditions Blog Hop

I love traditions! We have traditions for holidays, traditions for weather events (snow and hurricanes), but today I want to talk about traditions for ‘back to school’.

*Some of the links in my posts may be affiliate links see below for more information. *

Tradition Misconception

First, I want to clear up a common misconception about traditions. I often hear people talk about being overwhelmed by the prospect of having so many traditions because they feel like it is a lot of work or that traditions need to be big and elaborate events. While this may be true with some, it does not have to be!

Most of our traditions are quite simple and were often created to make life easier. For example, when there is a hurricane foretasted we make rice krispie treats to have for breakfast.  This started because I wanted something fun and easy for breakfast that would not need any electricity.

So, someone takes five minutes the day before the storm and whips up a batch to eat the next morning.  Breakfast solved!  It brings excitement and familiarity to a time that could otherwise be a bit scary.

Our Back-to-School Traditions

We have four simple traditions that my children have come to expect when it’s time for ‘back to school’. First, in addition to whatever curriculum we need, they all get some basic back-to-school supplies.

There is nothing like a box of fresh pencils and new crayons or markers to help us get excited for the new year. This time of year is a great time to buy all your school supplies for the year (and pick up a bit extra for Operation Christmas Child boxes) because they are on sale at some of the cheapest prices we normally see all year.

Our Breakfast Tradition

Second, while our family does a sit-down breakfast most every morning, we almost always have chocolate chip pancakes and bacon on the first day of school. It is the breakfast that everyone loves, and it makes for a tasty start to the day. 

While we are talking about food, we also take each child out on a special date before kindergarten. We started this with my oldest the week he started public school kindergarten but have continued it with our other children after we started homeschooling. They get to pick the restaurant, and it is a great chance for us to spend some special time with them and talk about how proud we are of how they are growing up.

Pictures

Third, I need those back-to-school pictures, even though they aren’t really going to a different place. I love being able to look back through the years and see how the children have grown from the beginning of each year. I simply print off sheets that say First Day Of ____ Grade and have them hold the papers for an assortment of pictures before we start our lessons.

Start Dates

Finally, we start the day after Labor Day. We enjoy spending time swimming and playing at the river each summer and didn’t want to cut that time short. We also generally have the opportunity to spend some time with family towards the end of August, so it works well for us to hold off our start date. The children love that they get to wait and get in that last bit of summer fun before settling down to the books.

Remember that traditions should be a fun way to make memories together. They do not need to be difficult or stressful. It is also important to remember that they can change, and that is okay. For example, this year, my younger children are still starting back after Labor Day, but in order to make my high school student’s schedule work better, he is going to begin some of his courses the week before Labor Day.

I would love to hear about some of your home school traditions. Tell me about them in the comments.

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses shares Homeschool Traditions.

Yvie @ Homeschool on the Range shares 20 Best Educational Subscription Boxes (we let the kids choose a new one at the beginning of each school year)

Vickie B @ Tumbleweed News shares Homeschool Traditions {NOT Back-to-School Blog Hop}

Adrienne B @ Practicalmindedness shares on Traditions that seal the heart.

Teresa B @ Teresa Brouillette shaes Homeschool Traditions.

Annette V @ A Net in Time shares Starting a New School Year.

Kristen @ A Mom’s Quest to Teach shares Homeschooling Taditions for the New Year.

Lori @ At Home: Where Life Happens shares Traditions for Back to School.

Yvonne @ The Life We Build shares Our Homeschool Traditions.

This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always, I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in, and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.

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