fbpx

3 Fun Traditions to Celebrate the End of the School Year

School is almost out! What an awesome time to celebrate the end of the school year and welcome summer break!

While each summer break looks a little different for our family, we love celebrating the start of summer with these three end of the school year family traditions.

Celebrate the end of the school year with these 3 fun family traditions we do each year! Your kids will love these special annual family traditions. What a great way to welcome summer break!

Try them out this year with your family too!

But first…

My End of the School Year Tradition

Before I share the family traditions, can I share something else I do this time of year?

I make sure that all my kids' school papers are organized and put away from the year.

Tired of school papers and child artwork all over the place? Here's a great new system for organizing your childs school papers from their toddler years through twelfth grade! What a great keepsake to pass on to your kids too!

The My Memory Box Kids School Paper Organizing System makes this super easy!

Think of it as a portable way to keep all your kids precious artwork and papers completely organized by grade and year from toddler to high school!

Oh my gosh... YES! Finally a great way to organize kids school papers once and for all-- from their toddler years through twelfth grade! What a great keepsake to pass on to your kids too! You'll be doing a happy dance after reading this!

 

 

No more paper piles or wondering what to do with all those school papers!

Once you've set up the My Memory Box system for each child, simply add the papers to box each year. That's it!

Thousands of families use the My Memory Box  system. In fact, it's the most popular item I sell on the site!

Go here to get your copy of the My Memory Box system!

The end of the school year is a great time to get organized!

 

 

End of the School Year Tradition #1: Mother-Child Dates

This is a really great tradition that the kids and I look forward to each year!

The concept is simple: I take each child to a location that they would enjoy (a frozen yogurt place, coffeehouse, cupcake store, etc) and while we’re indulging in a fun treat, we talk about what the year was like.

I lead the conversation with casual questions like “What was your favorite thing that we did this year?” or “Tell me something that you’d like to learn more about?” Go here to get a list of the questions I use on our end of the school year date.

We also talk about what they’re most looking forward to this summer; and I help them identify what specific things they’d like to learn either this summer or next year.

If I have time, I also gather up their portfolio of work from the year (art projects, workbooks, notebooks, other projects) and we look at them again and recall learning about the material and doing the project.

Overall, I keep the conversation really positive and focus on the wonderful growth I’ve seen.

I also take notes on what they share because: one, I want to make sure I remember it; and two, I want them to know that their comments are important enough for me to write them down.

This time together is just precious because the kids feel special, honored and listened to; and I really do get some great feedback on what worked this past year, and what they’d like to change!

Want to know more about how to plan a end of the school year mom child date?

My book Plan to Be Flexible offers great tips for homeschool moms and shares how to incorporate these end of the year date suggestions into next year's teaching materials.

Plan to Be Flexible: Designing A Homeschool Rhythm and Curriculum Plan That Works for Your FamilyPlan to Be Flexible: Designing A Homeschool Rhythm and Curriculum Plan That Works for Your Family

 

Get Plan to Be Flexible here.

End of the School Year Tradition #2: Celebration Day and Dinner

My husband and I wanted to have a time where we could stand up and publicly affirm each of our kids for all their hard work during the school year.

It's a time where we share about the great character traits we see them developing; the ways they are a blessing to our family; and how much we love each of them for their individual talents and personalities.

First, we have a morning of pure fun (in the past we've gone to the beach or a local indoor trampoline park) and then we have a special dinner where the kids chose the menu (each tells me their favorite appetizer, dinner or dessert and I combine them into one meal for us).

After dinner, my husband and I share our praises and pray for each of our kids individually.

If I'm feeling especially ambitious, I also put together a very simple slideshow of photos/videos from our school year.

End of the School Year Tradition #3: Special Treat for Mom

We must do this, moms!

We can’t forget to take the time to reward ourselves for all the blood, sweat and tears that we’ve invested in this school year!

At first this may feel selfish, but it’s more than alright to give ourselves a pat on the back for the sometimes-really-difficult work of schooling kids (whether we're homeschooling or not)!

This “special treat” will mean something different to all of us:

Maybe for you it’s a pedicure, or a day off shopping by yourself.

Maybe you decide to get together for dinner with several other moms at that great new restaurant.

Or perhaps you decide to buy yourself some great summer reading material (here are my picks!).

 

Enjoy celebrating the end of the school year with these fun family traditions!

 

Other Posts on the End of the School Year and Summer

How to Host an Awesome End of the School Year Date with Your Child

How to Easily Transition Your Family to a Summer Routine

100 Fun and Easy Ways to Keep Kids Learning This Summer

How to Organize Your Kids School Papers (for Good!)

 

Did this post encourage you? Please pin it and share on social media!

 

 

Comments are closed