Back to School Traditions You Can Start Right Now

I’ve partnered with I Vaccinate to share my story and this content is sponsored by I Vaccinate.

It’s back to school time! Also known as my most favorite time of the year! I love getting back into a routine, meeting our new teachers, fall sports schedules, cozy weather, and I could go on and on! My kids are pretty excited to go back to school and I still can’t believe we have a 1^st grader and a 3^rd grader….and a preschooler! Although depending on which day you ask, Belle is either exited for preschool or refusing to go. Luckily she still has a few more weeks at home before it’s her turn to go to school.

In the weeks leading up to school we always plan a special shopping trip to pick up our school supplies, pick out new clothes and shoes for school, practice making and eating our lunches, and write a get to know you letter to our new teacher. But this year I’m really trying to take it one step further and incorporate some back to school traditions into our family routine during the week leading up to starting school. I think it will be a fun way to say goodbye to summer and get my kids pumped for the school year.

Here are our simple traditions for back to school. I promise you it’s never too late to start these traditions and you can make them super simple!

Make sure we are up to date on our vaccinations.

Vaccines are important to me. I feel like there is so much misinformation about vaccines on the internet that can cloud our judgment as parents. For me and for my family, what has worked best is to talk to our pediatrician and explore credible recourses like IVaccinate. Vaccines are safe, effective, and help protect everyone. I have decided to vaccinate myself and my children against preventable diseases and feel confident that I am doing the absolute best to protect my family. 

 

Back to school sundae bar!

The day before school starts we have a family ice cream sundae party! The kids talk about this and look forward to it so much. I lay out a bunch of fun toppings and let the kids build their own sundae. It’s so cute how little things like this get my kids so excited for school. I love creating simple and easy traditions we can all enjoy.

 

Decorating our front door.

This year I’ve decided to start a new tradition of decorating our front door to surprise the kids when they get home from school. It’s never too late to start a new tradition and I think this one will be fun! The big kids will be taking the bus to school this year and I think they will get a huge kick out of our door being decorated when they get home. I plan to keep it simple with some crepe paper streamers and balloons.

 

Plan a fun end of summer family outing.

I love the idea of a fun outing to stay goodbye to summer. This year I took the kids to our local county kids fair and it was so much fun. They had the best day ever and although it was exhausting, I did too!

 

One on one dates.

I try to do this with each child every year…and now that my kids aren’t babies anymore it’s a little bit easier! I like to spend a little special one on one time with each kid before they start school. This year I took Hudson to an outdoor ropes course and it was a blast! And Sadie and I went for an ice cream date. I also think that next year I’ll take them back to school shopping one on one too…because this year I took all three kids at one time and it was a bit stressful, ha!

 

First day of school signs.

This doesn’t have to be elaborate! I love to use a letter board for the first day of school but you could also just print off a sign on your computer to hold too. I’m sure my kids will roll their eyes at me when they get older, but they will just have to understand, it’s a tradition!

 

As parents, we always want to make decisions that are the best for our kids. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for these people. And that is why I vaccinate my kids. I’ve done a lot of research and talked to our doctor at length about what is best for my family. It’s normal to have questions—it makes you a good parent! But make sure you are getting answers from credible sources and not someone claiming “new information!” on facebook. Remember, vaccines are continually monitored for safety. Ultimately I decided to vaccinate my children because not doing so puts them at risk of contracting a potentially deadly disease. I want the best for my children. As a mom I want to do everything in my power to protect my kids and it breaks my heart to see others suffering from a disease that could have been prevented with a vaccine.

 

If you are looking for reliable and credible information about vaccines, be sure to check out I Vaccinate. I Vaccinate provides information and tools based on real medical science and research to help Michigan parents protect their kids from vaccine-preventable diseases.