25+ Ways to Make Back to Homeschool Fun and Memorable

Summer is coming to an end. Many are excited to get back to homeschool now that the curriculum is ordered and planners are almost full. Are you nervous about how the kids are going to take it? Are you afraid that they are going to kick and scream all the way to the dining room table, or will they share in your excitement?

Here are 25+ activities that you can pick and choose from to make your first week back-to-homeschool fun, memorable, and non-scary for the hesitant learner! Let your kids ease back into educational mode by choosing to implement some of these exciting activities into your first week.

1. Half-days the first week: Ease back into the school routine. Only plan enough work for a half-day for the first week.
2. Breakfast fun: Let your creative side go. Whip up those bear-shaped pancakes that you pinned to your Pinterest account last year. Make it fun, make it tasty, and let your children help!
3. Water activities: Think balloon toss, slip and slides, or water-related relay races. Once your children complete their work, let them cool down with a refreshing activity.
4. First week survival kit: Provide your kids with treats, small gifts, and a fun DVD or CD to enjoy throughout the first week.
5. Create book covers: Decorate with brown paper bags or inexpensive materials found around the house: stickers, stamps, decoupage, etc.
6. Countdown paper chain: A week before your official first day of school, create a countdown paper chain.
7. Set up a snack bar: Set out creative snacks and goodies and have a specific time of day when the children can graze.
8. Verse of the year: As a family, choose a verse for the upcoming school year for a theme verse. Be sure to memorize it!
9. Personalized pencil cans: A simple craft to get your child excited about the upcoming school year.
10. Balloons and streamers: Decorate your school area with balloons and streamers to add to all of the excitement.
11. First day of school pictures: Have your child hold a sign stating what grade they are beginning. If you don’t do grades, simply have them hold a sign that states the date.
12. Go on a picnic: Prepare a quick and easy meal ahead of time so you can pack it up and go!
13. School supply treasure hunt: If you have many kids, use a color-coded system to set up a treasure hunt where each child has to search for their own school supplies!
14. Mad libs: In addition to assigning the basic subjects, throw a Mad Lib in the mix just to stir things up a bit!
15. Heads-up: Find a fun group game app, such as Heads-up, to play together as a family to break the day up a little.
16. Thumbprint art: Younger and older ones alike can have fun taking a break and creating this style of artwork.
17. Mark their heights on a wall: Designate a certain area of the house where you will mark your children’s growth. Mark and date their heights at the beginning of each school year.
18. Make homemade playdough: To keep younger learners busy, make your own playdough to have on hand when they need to be entertained while you are doing school with the older ones.
19. Add something new to the school area: Do you have a new pocket chart, calendar, or whiteboard? Display it proudly and make it the star of the show.
20. Back-to-school gifts: Keep it simple and keep it school-related.
21. Time for tea: Plan a time in-between subjects to have a tea party with your daughters or fun sack with your sons.
22. Decorate binders: Present each child with a binder they can use for the year. Also provide stickers, markers, and stencils for them to create a memorable and meaningful binder that they will enjoy throughout the year.
23. Homeschool outside for a day: Go out on the back porch, your backyard picnic table, or spread out a blanket in the front yard. Bring your schoolwork outside and enjoy God’s nature while learning together.
24. Family bonding activity: Try trust falls, blindfolded guided hikes, or other trust-building activities among the siblings.
25. Set goals: Sit down together and come up with a list of family goals for the upcoming school year.
26. Write a letter to your child: Take some extra time to handcraft a letter for each child telling them how much you appreciate them and how proud you are of their progress academically, spiritually, and emotionally.
27. Start a newsletter: Do you love to write? Does your child? Let the writer of the family create a newsletter to send out to friends, family, and church members at the beginning of each school year highlighting plans, goals, and previous accomplishments.
28. Go out to eat for breakfast: Create a new family tradition. Go to a local diner or your favorite breakfast spot.