Our First Day of Second Grade: 5 Simple Homeschool Traditions
I created a list of five things that I want him to know, understand, and follow as we go through another year of homeschooling together. We made it somewhat of a contract because he had to sign his name at the bottom to say that he agreed to the rules.
We officially started school! Well… sort of.
We actually started about three weeks ago, but we took a slow pace, gradually adding more work and easing into our routine. Today was the day we decided to have our official first day of school, which happened to fall around the same time most kids were heading back to school.
We didn’t do much to make it a super special or elaborate day, but we also didn’t do any actual schoolwork because it was a holiday.
Instead, we started our day with a simple back-to-school breakfast, which included some of my kid's favourite things. While having breakfast, we started one of our new traditions.
We went through our homeschool rules.
Then, we made an “All About Me” page.
It was similar to the back-to-school signs you see online, except this was a printable page that he filled out himself. He got to draw pictures, choose the colors, and add whatever he wanted. It was really fun seeing what he chose to include.
We had our very first back-to-school interview.
I had a list of questions prepared for him, and I recorded his answers on video. It turned into such a sweet little interview—and at the end, he decided to interview me too!
I love that this is something we can look back on every year. It will be fun to see how his answers change, what he was interested in at different ages, and how much he grows—not just academically, but as a person.
It’s also something we can share with family and friends so they can hear his thoughts and see a little more of who he is at this stage of his life. I've already shared it with a few family members and friends, and they absolutely love it. Needless to say, I have rewatched the video several times already, and I know that I'll be watching it again real soon.
And last but not least, we took our back-to-school photos!
I made a simple printable sign that said “My First Day of Second Grade,” and we took a few pictures to mark the occasion. It was a quick little photo shoot outside, followed by a walk and a little outside play.
Looking back at the first day of first grade photos and comparing them to these...wow... The growth in a year is so significant. I'm so happy I get to spend every day with him.
After our outside adventures, I took some time to talk to him about my expectations for the year, what he’ll be working on, and the subjects we’ll be covering. And, just as importantly, I gave him the opportunity to share the things he would like to learn and do this school year.
It was a simple but wonderful way to start our school year. It wasn’t elaborate or over-the-top, but it was meaningful.
And I think that’s exactly how I want our homeschool to feel.
Quick Re-cap
Our 5 simple homeschool traditions are:
Having a back-to-school breakfast featuring my kid's favourite items;
Reading and discussing our homeschool rules and signing to show he agrees and understands;
Completing an "All About Me" printout
Record a back-to-school interview to learn his thoughts, wishes, and quirks;
Back-to-school photo shoot with a "First Day of (whatever) Grade" sign