7 family activities to make back-to-school season fun for kids

Get kids excited for the first day of school with a countdown calendar. Make your own with creative DIY projects that kids can interact with daily. Stick to the basics with a simple calendar that kids can cross each day off as the school year nears closer. Those feeling more crafty can create a paper countdown chain with colored construction paper. Each day, let your kids tear one link off of the chain to create a visual reminder for their first day back.

Whether it's for clothes, school supplies, or a new backpack, include your kids in their own back-to-school shopping. Give your kids the opportunity to express their own unique styles with items they’ll look forward to showing off in the classroom. New school gear can help your kids start off the school year with new, up-to-date items as they enter a new chapter of their education. A fancy new pencil box or a snazzy new pair of sneakers might just help get your kiddos get out of bed in the morning a little quicker!

Every kid looks forward to lunch, a time where they can spend time catching up with friends outside of the classroom and chatting about the latest viral song. Make lunch even more exciting with a meal they made themselves. Whether your kids are learning at school or remote-learning from home, creating lunch together will allow your kids to see their hard work from start to finish. It may also encourage your little ones to finish their entire meal, meaning a fueled second half of the day and less wasted food in the trash.

Yearly family traditions for the end of the first day of school create memories that the whole family will remember for a lifetime. After their long day at school, treat your kids to a back-to-school dinner at a restaurant of their choosing. To support your kids’ reading habits, try gifting a new book that they’ll enjoy outside of schoolwork. To get the whole family involved, plan a fun outdoor activity that will entice everyone’s competitive spirit and help wind down from the hectic school and workday.

Kick off the school year by getting creative in the kitchen. Make the transition back to the classroom sweet with homemade cupcakes, rice crispy treats cake pops, Cheerios bars, or M&M cookies. Your kids won’t be able to dread the school year when dessert is on the menu! Opt for small dessert options that you can pack in their lunch throughout the week. Be sure not to forgot about college students. Send them a care package with these 30+ easy dessert recipes from Delish. They’ll thank you later.

Homework can be daunting, and the stress of completing school assignments is just as stressful as making sure your kids have actually done them. A DIY portable homework station can make the task more effective and less tiresome. An on-the-go work station allows kids to seamlessly move from the kitchen table to their bedroom desk without sacrificing productivity. Pack a shower caddy or pencil box with school essentials like markers, scissors, pens, a ruler, notepads, and erasers, for at-home organization on the go.

Personalize your kids' pencils with their name, decorate their backpack with their initials using fun-colored fabric markers, or draw their favorite design on their new water bottle with Sharpies to help your kids claim stake in their back-to-school gear and feel confident about the upcoming year. Check out affordable custom design options online from Customink.com for a variety of personalized items including sports towels, notebooks, pens and markers, and clipboards. Label makers are another great tool for turning any household item into your own, like a school binder, at-home work station, or electronic learning materials.