At our home we are getting ready to begin our second year of homeschooling. The first year of homeschooling was overall great, but a lot of the time I felt overwhelmed. This year, I feel mostly excited, even my children are excited! I don't know if this will be our last year as homeschoolers or if we'll be homeschooling all the way till High School graduation, but for now all I know is we are happy and thriving.
Getting excited to teach and demonstrating that excitement can play a role in getting our students/children to be as excited to learn. I am excitedly planning our first day of our second year homeschooling. It's not difficult to make the first day special, there are a lot of things that can be done like in brick and mortar schools, and things that can be that are completely different (thanks to the flexibility of homeschool) from a brick and mortar school, some families even opt for a field trip on the first day of school!
Here is a list of first day of school ideas that could easily be applied to a first day of homeschool or first day of a regular B&M school:
First day school pictures
You can purchase or make your own First Day sign for the picture. At the end of the school year you can compare how much your children have grown.
First Day Questionnaire
Similar to the first day picture, having your children/ students fill out a simple questionnaire makes a good memorabilia to what your child was like at that moment in time. I created our own simple All About Me questionnaire, that the kids can color, with the idea of having my children fill one on the first day of school and then another on the last day of school.
Click below to download the FREE printable
A new book...or two
I like the idea of gifting books because it sends the message that it can be just as awesome as receiving a toy or game. Reading is cool! (Here are is a link to some pretty awesome children's books)
A special breakfast
Prepare their favorite breakfast or, if homeschooling, go dine at their favorite breakfast place.
Field trip
Homeschool: Zoo, Aquarium, Museum, Garden, Park, Playground
B&M School: Parents could take their kids somewhere special after school or surprise them with tickets to go somewhere in the weekend.
After school treat
Celebrate the end of the first day by going out for a special treat like ice cream or donuts.
Affirmations
Start the day/ school year with positive affirmations for kids. Remind them how awesome they are and make them feel like they can conquer the day.
Special Lunch
There are many simple ways to make their lunch extra special. Like leaving them a note or heir favorite candy. If you homeschool, you could take them out for lunch.
New School Supplies
I remember how awesome it was to prepare for the first day of class, picking out my new shoes, backpack, pencils, and notebook. Kids will love getting to pick out their school supplies.
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