The first day of school is always magical, just as it was for us – it is now for them. With fresh clean shoes, notebooks without a page written, and perfectly-pointed Crayola crayons, another page is turned. A new beginning is open for adventures and our kids screech with excitement as they usually willfully leave us and leap for the classroom. As parents, we head back to our quiet, empty houses that have been filled with noise and summer chaos just prior. We sit, slowly sip our coffee for the first time in months, and browse through the other “First Day” pictures on Facebook. We unite, as parents, joyfully and sorrowfully as we get to experience another year of watching our children grow.
Maybe we have the Pandemic to blame, or maybe it’s been Pinterest all along, but it’s fair to say we’ve all become more creative parents in the last decade. Personally, I live for childhood magic. I want to make every event of their lives as special as I can and savor it. We know too well that it all goes by in a blink of an eye. So, when it came to the first day of school, of course I wanted to make it memorable. If you lack the creative gene and need a little inspiration, this is what I scrambled together at 9PM the night prior. From one mama to another:
- A fun table setting! I scored these printables from A Girl and a Glue Gun and put my laminator to work. I thought they were so cute, and you can re-use them every year if laminated.
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- A special back-to-school breakfast. This is something I started last year. I’ll never pretend to be a Pinterest-perfect mom because I don’t have the talent, I wish I had! More importantly, the kids never notice if your pancakes are slightly lopsided. They notice the love. This year, I opted for food-colored apple-shaped pancakes with ABC and 123 accents. All in all, it took about 20 minutes.
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- Jitter Juice. My daughter was a little nervous and had some separation anxiety last year when starting preschool so this year I wanted a creative way to calm her. I saw a fellow teacher post how she gives her kids special “jitter juice” every first day of school and I thought that was really genius. Here’s a fun recipe. If anything, the sugar will surely boost a kid’s confidence.
- First Day Interview. Have your kids fill out a back-to-school interview questionnaire. Do them every year and save them for their senior year! When they’re seniors make a book out of them! Here’s a great template.
- Printable coloring pages. Did you know Crayola always offers free coloring pages and craft ideas? I put a few of these out on our decorated table, and they had a nice little activity before the morning mayhem began.
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Just like that, another year begins. Just as we set New Year’s resolutions, I’ve always believed that setting any new beginning off on a good note sets the tone for the rest of the year. I hope you make every day magic with your kiddos and enjoy watching them grow this school year!
