5 fun back-to-school rituals for busy families

This post was written as part of a partnership with Staples.

Friends.

There’s no denying it.

Back-to-school season is in full swing, so I thought I’d take a minute to share a few fun back-to-school rituals for busy families. I

Here’s the skinny. . .

5 Fun Back-to-School Rituals for Busy Families

Family Camp-In

No matter where in the world you live, the weather’s always perfect for a Family Camp-In.

A Camp-In is the opposite of a Camp-Out, of course! A Camp-In takes place in your house, in a room large enough for the whole family.

And though you can’t toast marshmallows indoors, you can still pop popcorn, put a movie on, and sleep in sleeping bags on the floor. Sure, it may be a little tight and the floor may be a tiny bit uncomfortable, but it sure beats fighting those mosquitos and spiders.

Plus, when you have a Family Camp-In, you can take time to talk about the awesome summer you just had along with some things you’re looking forward to this fall.

Be sure to talk about:

your favorite summer memory;
the funniest thing that happened this summer;
your most relaxing day;
your busiest summer day;
what you are most looking forward to this school year;
which activities you’ll be doing this fall;
some goals for the new school year.

Yes! Day

Scheduling–or surprising!–your kids with a Yes! Day before school starts is a ritual that is shared by many of my friends.

My kids are still asking for one, but I just haven’t had the nerve to do it. I should have started this much sought-after, dream day with my kids when they were younger; that way, I could have set boundaries and rules from the start.

I fear if I start now, they’ll really take advantage of me promising to say “Yes!” for just about everything they ask.

In a typical Yes! Day, here’s what happens: Kids make requests and parents say “yes!”

For many families, these are the guidelines they stick by:

Parents have the ultimate power to say “No!” to anything.
Nothing can cost over $10 (or any reasonable amount determined by the parent);
Yes! Day has a specific beginning and end, say 10 am to 8 pm.

Like I said, it’s not a Back-to-School ritual that our family has practiced, but it’s one that my kids have requested year after year after year. Maybe this is the year I’ll surprise them?

Ice-Cream for Dinner the First Day of School

This is a ritual that just about anyone can do with relative ease and just a bit of planning: ice-cream for dinner the first day of school.

One of my friends has done this religiously ever since her son started Kindergarten which I think is so cool. And now, three kids later her son will be starting his junior year of high school this year, and they’re still doing it.

Talk about a sweet way to end an otherwise stressful day for kids!

Purge then Shop the House

Purge then Shopping the House is a ritual our family has done each year for many years now, and it’s a game-changer.

When you Purge then Shop the House, you do two things:

1.) The Purge

Each person in the family goes through closets, dressers, and old backpacks (especially if you didn’t empty them in June!) and they search for items they no longer need.

Those items are put in two piles: give away and donate. The give away piles are left alone, and the donate items are put into bags to donate. These are items that have only a little life left in them.

The give away items are then used for Shop the House.

2.) Shop the House

Shop the House is simply shopping for items you may need–in your house. You know the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? Here’s where it’s put into action.

Each person in the house can “shop” through other people’s give away piles. You will be surprised at what you find!

School Supply Shopping Extravaganza

Another highly-anticipated back-to-school ritual in our family is our annual School Supply Shopping Extravaganza.

Each year, my kids and I decide on a day to set aside solely for back-to-school shopping, and we truly prepare. The kids gather their lists from their school websites, and then they figure out what they still need after Shopping the House.

Sometimes, if a kid gets lucky, he or she can use a bunch of last year’s almost-untouched-supplies and save a few dollars on this year’s school supply haul.

Other times, kids really have to use the weekly sales fliers, the coupons and discounts we have, and budget their money.

Luckily, Staples has weekly in-store promotions you can take advantage of every week! As the ultimate #BackToSchoolSpecialists, they have everything you may need and more!

You have a question about backpacks? Staples knows the answer.

You want to know the difference between calculators? Staples knows the answer.

You want to make this year’s shopping a one-stop shop so that you can head home and plan your Family Camp-In? Staples is the place.

You want to go to a store where workers are not just workers but specialists? Head to Staples.

I’m proud to be working with Staples for back-to-school, and I’m thrilled to share with you my family’s school supply haul this month. Please stay tuned for more!

In the shopping spree, you’ll be able to join Maddy, who’s 14 and preparing for her first year of high school, Owen, who’s 13 and heading to grade 7, and Cora, who’s 11 and heading to middle school, as they “one stop shop” at Staples for their back-to-school needs.

Definitely follow the accounts below to stay in the loop:

See you then!

fyi: This post was written as part of a partnership with Staples. As always, my opinions and ideas are all my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator.