Back-to-school rituals

A few times this summer, my daughters and I have heard the tinkly music of the ice cream man off in the distance, but it’s always been just a tease. The girls would wait and wait on the curb, but he never rounded the corner.

Until tonight. Two days before school starts, he finally made it down our street. We indulged, even though we’d treated ourselves to ice cream just a few hours before.

The ice cream incident got me thinking about back-to-school rituals. I know some families go out for a treat before the first day of school every year. One of my favorite bloggers takes a photo of her children on their front porch every first and last day of school. When I was growing up, my mom took my sister and me to the grocery store the night before every first day to pick out our lunches.

Those are simple rituals. Some families do more, like throwing a back-to-school party or spending one last day at the waterslides or an amusement park.

This article gives some great ideas for rituals you can start. Some of my favorites are camping out in the backyard (I’d recommend scheduling that for a few nights before the first day); writing a letter to your child every year; and baking cookies the day before and then eating them together after school as you talk about how the first day went.

Why have family rituals at all?

“Traditions give the family stability and a feeling of belonging,” reads an article on Parenting247.org, a Web site run by the University of Illinois Extension. “Values and beliefs are often reinforced through our traditions. Through the passing of time, we learn the unspoken message of why traditions are created, family is important.”

For more about the benefits of starting a family ritual, check out this post on Simple Mom.net.

Does your family have a back-to-school ritual? What other rituals do you share?