This year is our sixth year homeschooling. My children will be starting preschool, 1st grade, 4th grade, and 6th grade. In my family, I believe small celebrations have a big impact. Each year I make an effort to make the beginning of the new homeschool year a special moment for my children.

Although my family homeschools year-round, in the fall we usually begin a new curriculum or implement new systems or routines in our homeschool. Leading up to this time, I like to take a short break between the end of summer and the new school year to help my family begin the new school year with excitement.

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I am so excited to begin this school year. After moving at the beginning of the year, we are finally feeling settled in our new home and in our new homeschool space. Over the years we have homeschooled in an RV and in small spaces, and we are all so grateful to be more settled and in our new homeschool room.

It also feels so special to have all four of my children participating in our homeschool this year, with my third-born entering first grade. While we have always homeschooled family-style and found ways to include the little ones, this year is different as my youngest child is maturing and will be more involved and engaged. I couldn’t be more excited to have everyone around the table or circled up in the living room learning together.

As you enter into your new school year, remember that the most important thing to prepare is yourself.

Your kids will enjoy the decorated school area and the trinkets and outings, but what they will remember most is their connection with you. Take some time to cast a vision for your school year, journal, pray, and get excited about learning alongside your children this year. As you think about how to make the first week of the new homeschool year fun, do only what serves your family well and brings you joy and peace. Stay away from the comparison trap and striving for perfection. Add a few of these ideas into your school day, but most importantly, communicate to your children that you LOVE being home with them and have the best job in the world being their mama and teacher.

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Ideas to bring joy to your first day back-to-homeschool

Ideas to bring joy to your first day back-to-homeschool

1. The night before back-to-homeschool

Try starting a tradition for the night before the first day back to homeschooling.

In my family, our tradition is to have an ice cream sundae bar and board game night the evening before we start our new school year. We talk about the previous year, all we did and learned, plus the upcoming year’s plans. We also give the kids a small school supply gift and pray over each of them.

You could make this tradition anything–the key is doing it each year and making sure to have some time to connect with your children’s hearts about the upcoming school year during that time.

2. Prepare a special breakfast

Serve a special breakfast the morning of the first day of school or surprise your kids with a trip out to breakfast!

In my family, we love to cook and try new recipes. Here are some of our favorite special breakfast recipes we’ve tried over the years:

3. Decorate the school area

Simply add balloons and streamers to your school area, or gather some new long-term decor and freshen up your space as a surprise for your kids. I love these posters from Cavallini Papers for an inexpensive, fun way to redecorate our area. I love hanging new display sheets from our curriculum or items from the Wonder of Nature Collection.

If you don’t want to add anything to your space, try decluttering your area by removing any of last year’s projects or school items to make space for the new year of school and start fresh.

4. New school supplies

creative homeschool art ideas

Make school supplies extra fun by wrapping them in gift wrap or by creating a scavenger hunt for the kids to find them. Throw in some bonus supplies you don’t normally get like character erasers, special art supplies, and new fidgets for them to play with when you are reading aloud.

Check out our Amazon Storefront for items I love.

5. Introduce a visual schedule

To set up your days for the best success, I recommend using a visual schedule to support your children from the time they are very young. Download, personalize, print, and laminate our Daily Rhythm Bundle and introduce a visual schedule to your kids. This will help keep your day flowing, and kids love to see what is happening next as they move through their day.

Connect with your children and arrange the schedule to start the day with any subjects or studies they are excited about.

6. All About Me

Have your children create a self-portrait and write down some of their current favorites to look back on and remember who they were at the beginning of the school year. When I do this with my kids, I like to include their favorite book, food, song, hobby, and current best friend. You could also easily find a freebie online with an All About Me template for the kids to fill out. This is a tried-and-true way to take a snapshot of who they are at this point in time and see how they evolve throughout the year.

7. Ask your children what they want to learn

The first day of the new school year is a great time to connect with your children and talk about what they want to learn about this year. Give your kids some sticky notes and invite them to write down topics and stick them to a wall in your school area. Then, plan some time to learn each thing they wrote. We like to do this all year long! Some of our favorite things we’ve studied as a family have been ideas my children suggested.

8. Start a fun unit study

homeschool unit nature study

Start your school year off by exploring a unit study that will really excite and engage your kids. If you’re new to homeschooling, unit studies explore multiple academic subjects through one topic, making it easy to teach different ages and bring everyone together during your school day. Unit studies are often more hands-on than other school work.

In my family, we like to use nature as a catalyst for unit studies, exploring topics like storms, apples, reptiles, and birds of prey. We use Treehouse Nature Study to guide these lessons, which includes poetry, music, art, nature walks, crafts, experiments, and more.

9. Add depth to a favorite subject

Take a topic you children loved last year and explore the subject with more depth and focus.

In my family, we have used and loved Treehouse Nature Study for years, but this year my older children and I will build on the same seasonal themes with more depth with Treehouse Nature Study, Intermediate Years. This study is geared towards 4th-8th grades explores elements of nature with new book lists and multimedia, plus advanced language arts assignments, science experiments, and more.

10. Play games

incorporating games in homeschooling

Games are such a great way to foster connection and learn cooperation skills. There are so many amazing games out there that also invite you into learning. Instead of using a math curriculum on the first day, try playing a math game! My favorite source for finding good games is The Waldock Way. Whenever I need a fresh idea, I head over to her blog and can find so many to choose from.

11. School outside

Surprise your kids by packing up all of your school materials on the first day and taking it out in the backyard with a picnic, or on the road to your favorite park. Bring a blanket and some lunch and enjoy the freedoms of homeschooling from day one!

12. Field trip

Plan a field trip for the first day to kick off the year. We love visiting museums, nature centers, and the zoo. Bring a camera and some clipboards for your older children to take notes of things they are observing and learning and create a notebook page of the day when you return home.

13. Poetry teatime

Have a special teatime in the afternoon, complete with a treat, tea, and your favorite poetry books. Set the table with a pretty tablecloth and light a candle to make it extra memorable.

14. Begin a new read-aloud

Join with your family or friends and read-aloud together. I intentionally incorporate literature into our homeschool to create a love of learning and books, and learn through different stories.

This year we are reading a new book each month with Treehouse Book Club. Each week we will read and have discussions about the book as a family. When we finish the book, we will meet with friends for presentations, book-themed activities, and to celebrate finishing the book.

Whether this is your first year homeschooling or you’ve been homeschooling for years, the start of a new year is always an exciting time. I hope these ideas help you find meaningful, intentional ways to kick off the new year that will bring joy to your family.

If you have any back-to-school traditions you love, please share them in the comments below.

Ideas to Make Back-to-Homeschool Memorable and Fun