Starting Your Homeschool Year with Intention: Rituals and Traditions Worth Creating

As we approach back-to-school season, I tend to start thinking about rituals and traditions. You may have picked up on the fact that I like to help mark the passage of time with little moments and experiences that help make one season distinct from another and each year distinguishable from the last.

I do this because I tend to use memorable events from my childhood to help me remember when certain things happen. I remember thinking about the lemon tree episode of The Simpsons while I was floating in the lazy river at Splashtown, and we had our Splashtown season passes the summer after 10th grade. I know that My Girl came out in sixth grade because I remember my science teacher telling our class to “bring tissues” if we went to see it.

Homeschoolers don’t have the same experience as school kids - our children aren’t changing classes from year to year - but there are definitely ways we can help them mark time in their memories. Creating rituals and traditions is one way to do this, and back-to-school season is a perfect time to start.

These don’t have to be elaborate. As long as they are meaningful to you and your children, they can be as simple as you like.

Rituals of Reflection and Intention

We like to start each year by setting some sort of intention, and I try to pair that with something that allows for reflection as well. For example, we usually write a letter to our future self that can be read at the end of the year. This is something I used to do with my sixth graders and have found to be a wonderful addition to our homeschool. They grow so much in a given year, this allows them to see that growth in their own writing.

One year, we created a “fire pit” in our backyard and built an imaginary fire in it. This was a lovely stand alone ritual that didn’t become an annual tradition since we moved the next year, but it stands out in my memory. It was my daughter’s idea, actually. She picked out some music that she thought would be good for dancing, and we danced around and jumped over the fire while making wishes for the upcoming year.

Gratitude jars can be a great way to incorporate reflection at the beginning of the year (by setting up the jar), and it’s a practice that can anchor you throughout the year. You simply choose a jar and find a way to make it special, then keep strips of paper nearby to add to it throughout the year. We aim for one strip per week, and then we read them all together at the end of the year (or the beginning of the next year). It really helps solidify the special moments we experience throughout the year.

Personalization Traditions

Last year we used Hearth and Story for Language Arts. We aren’t planning to continue with it, but one thing we both loved was designing a binder cover in Canva. I love it because it allows my daughter to express herself creatively and turn her school supplies into something that represents her.

She gets to choose the colors, the images, the layout, and what would otherwise be an ordinary school supply become something she cares about. If you use a binder, a planner, or any kind of organizational system in your homeschool, this is a lovely way to earn your child’s buy-in.

Traditions for Fun and Connection

This is a shocker, but homeschool rituals/traditions don’t actually have to have anything to do with school! What kinds of annual events are available in your community, and what feels fun to your family?

We live near Portland, Oregon, and we love going to Oaks Amusement Park’s Homeschool Not Back to School Day every year. This will be our third year attending. It's a really fun way to mark the start of the year surrounded by other homeschoolers, plus there’s a resource fair and curriculum sale (which helps me do a reset for our bookshelf since we have limited storage in our small home). Oaks Park also hosts homeschool skate days throughout the year.

What community events can you tie into your homeschool start (or incorporate throughout the year)?

Creating Your Own Traditions

You don’t have to be limited to what’s available to you, either. You can absolutely create your own traditions. They don’t have to be expensive, either. You just need a little creativity and a little intention.

This could look like a special breakfast on the first day, a first-day photo in the same spot every year, letting your child pick dinner the night before you start, or a first day of school hike.

The rituals and traditions you create become touchstones. They're the things your child remembers, and they help you set the tone for the year ahead.

What will you come up with?

This is the final week of From Summer to September. The episode this week is all about what you've built over this summer and why you are more ready than you think. The course is wrapping up, but the community is just getting started—come listen inside Road Less Traveled Homeschool.

Julia McGarey is a parent coach and secular homeschool educator specializing in gifted and twice exceptional learners.