Easy Last Day of Homeschool Traditions

The last day of homeschool for the year is such an exciting day.  Kids and parents alike have made it through a year of homeschooling.  It deserves celebrating!  Every family has their own last day of homeschool traditions, but sometimes it is helpful to see what other families do to honor the end of another school year.

My family is entering the final few weeks of our school year.  I don’t have an exact date in mind just yet.  That probably seems odd for a planner like me, but it works for my family.  We tend to drop subjects as we get closer to the final day.  I like to think of it as easing into summer break, but really we just finish up our various curricula at different times.  Our marine biology curriculum is at the final unit and we only have one more book left to read as part of our video game history course.  We only have one more Survivor themed geography club left until we stop geography too.  Math, reading, and writing continue until the day our of our annual homeschool testing.

Once tests have been submitted we are officially on summer break!

Last Day of Homeschool Traditions

We are wrapping up our 8th year of homeschool this spring.  At some point we have done every single one of these last day of homeschool traditions.  Now I choose a few for the first day, but we don’t feel the need to do everything the first day.  It is just the beginning of summer vacation – no need to rush!  We celebrate our new found freedom for at least a week.

Movie Day

Watching a movie can be a great way to celebrate the end of the school year.  This is particularly good if mom is burnt out.  Close the curtains, dim the lights, pop some popcorn, and doze on the couch while the kids enjoy the movie.  It is a relaxing way to start summer break.

Go out for a treat

There is always some sort of sweet treat involved in our last day of homeschool traditions.  Sometimes that means going to the bakery for a fancy cupcake.  We have gotten celebratory doughnuts a few times.  Last year we swung by the sno-cone truck after dinner.  This year we are going to walk downtown and try out a new ice cream shop.

Summer themed poetry tea time

A themed poetry tea time is one of my favorite ways to celebrate just about anything.  To make a summer themed poetry tea time serve summer treats and read silly poems.  Homemade ice cream and strawberry brownie kabobs would be perfect!  I bought The Night Before Summer Vacation when I was a classroom teacher and we still read it every year.  My kids are older, but they are happy to listen to me read silly poems as long as there is a delicious snack involved.

Picnic and park party

A picnic and park party is a fantastic last day of homeschool tradition for a homeschool group.  There is minimal planning involved, which I always appreciate at the end of the year.  Choose a park, everyone packs a picnic, someone brings a few balls and other outdoor toys, and someone brings popsicles.  Easy and kids love it.

Order pizza

Ordering pizza is something we usually do on the first day of school and again on the last.  It is super easy – especially for a tired mom.  We do not order pizza very often in my house, so it feels special.

Take a photo

Every year I have to get a picture of the first day of school and a picture of the last day of school.  It is always amazing to see how much the kids have changed!  I usually just write a quick sign with the date and grade they completed, but a letter board would be a great way to kick it up a notch.  It could also be reused year after year.

End of the school year interview

A quick interview is a great way to wrap up the last day of school.  It ends up being a walk down memory lane for the school year.

Create a summer bucket list

We try to create a summer bucket list every year.  We write down all the places we want to go and everything we want to do over the next 6-8 weeks.  My kids always have lots of ideas, but I stress that this is a bit of a wish list.  We rarely get to do everything on our list.

Give a summer gift

Even though we are on summer break I don’t want my kids to sit around like bumps on a log.  Giving an educational summer gift is a great way to keep the learning going all summer long.  Some of the last day of school gifts have included:

• journal
• sparkly pens
• books
• outdoor toys
• pool gear
• monthly subscription, like STEMtrunk or Harlow’s Harvest
• kid-friendly magazine

What are your favorite last day of homeschool traditions?  Share them in the comments!

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