Making The First Day Of School Special In Your Homeschool

Have you been staring at all the back to school photos on social media? Are you bombarded with back to school ads everywhere you look? Seeing all the excitement can make homeschoolers feel left out of the fun.

But we can celebrate the first day of homeschool at home in all kinds of fun ways! There are so many ways to make the first day of school special in your homeschool. If you’re looking for ideas to make it extra special and fun, you’re in the right place!

I’m excited to share all the ways we celebrate a return to homeschool lessons with you, including our favorite fun ideas for back to school photos, parties, and even field trips! Keep reading to discover some of the best resources for the back to homeschool season.

Homeschooling During Back To School

Homeschoolers don’t always start the school year at the same time as nearby public schools. We have the beautiful opportunity to be flexible with our start time and it’s wonderful! 

Even as year round homeschoolers, I want to get in on the fun that comes with “back to school.” Fortunately, there are lots of ways to enjoy the flexibility of year round homeschooling and still celebrate a return to lessons or advancing to the next level in our studies.

Ideas For Making The First Day Back To Homeschool Special

This year, you can set yourself up for success by celebrating the start of a new homeschool year together. Whether you’re a veteran homeschool mom or a beginner, you can start the year off right with excitement and celebration! 

There are all kinds of ways to celebrate “back to school” at whatever time of year we desire. Check out some of our favorite ideas for making the first day back to homeschool extra special.

Back to Homeschool Morning Basket

Morning baskets are a fun way to ease into homeschool lessons for the day. Our morning basket activities are focused on fostering connecting and getting in the mindset for learning. 

The resources I include in our morning basket are meant to spark Emily’s curiosity, get her excited about learning, and give us time together. On days where we really need a more laid back approach (like the beginning of a new school year), a morning basket is the perfect way to begin connecting and learning together.

Take Fun Back to Homeschool Photos

Taking back to school photos with our homeschoolers can be lots of fun too! Some of my favorite ideas include taking pictures of Emily engaging in things she’s interested in like art. 

We also enjoy taking photos in costume. When we do our Wizards & Wands unit study, we love dressing up as our favorite characters from the books! 

Having fun with a silly photo shoot that gives us the chance to be ourselves is great fun too. Silly candid shots showcase our personalities in a way that posed photos can’t always capture.

Welcome Back to Homeschool Party

I love celebrating the new school year with a back to homeschool party! We like to decorate our home, dress up, and enjoy special activities to celebrate our return to school. Theming our parties to match the unit study or subject we will be focusing on has been a lot of fun for us too. 

You can theme your welcome back to homeschool party to match your child’s favorite things. Add decorations, games, and themed snacks that match their interests for even more fun.

Celebrate NOT Back to School

Sometimes we celebrate by NOT going back to school and squeezing in one more trip as a family. Other times we start the year off with fun back to school themed resources. 

Last year, I just wasn’t feeling ready to begin a new year of homeschooling quite yet. Instead of dressing up for our traditional back to school pics and having a party, we decided to go on one more fun family trip.

Rather than focusing on back to school, we decided to spend time together and foster a deeper connection by starting the year with a “NOT back to school” trip to Universal. Since many children had returned to public school, the parks were less crowded and we were able to enjoy our visit even more!

The Most Important Part About Back To School In Our Homeschool

So what’s the most important thing about going back to school for us? My goal as we return to homeschool lessons is to make sure that Emily feels a sense of accomplishment. I want her to know that she’s making progress and celebrate her academic successes in a big way.

By celebrating the beginning of a new year in homeschooling, we are encouraging Emily to continue a lifelong journey of learning. Hopefully, as we return to homeschooling, our back to school kickoff gives her the courage to stick it out when things get challenging because she will know how far she has come and how  much further she can go.

Whether you’re beginning a new level, introducing new curriculum, or picking up where you left off, celebrating this season in the homeschool year can be a great way to encourage your kids to keep going. Let’s get excited about the journey as we celebrate back to homeschooling!

More Back To School Resources

Are you looking for more fun ideas to celebrate the new homeschool year? Check out Five Fun Ideas to Celebrate the First Day of Homeschool. Then, get started planning your new homeschool year with The Best Place to Start Homeschool Planning and my flexible interest-led planners. Plus, discover more fun back to school resources to use in your homeschool:

Do you have a great back to homeschool resource I forgot to mention? Share your favorite back to school resources in the comments. I can’t wait to read them and try a few of your favorites with Emily as we begin our new homeschool year!