My kids started school today and I’m still in a bit of shock. The summer flew by so fast and not having them here all day feels super weird.
It would be magical if my 4 year old wasn’t still home with me… not that I don’t like him, but he is bored out of his mind and won’t let me accomplish much. The poor kid is going to have to learn some independence this year!
Anyway, the first day of school always makes me extra sentimental and in the mood to document. I felt a whole lot of solidarity at the bus stop this morning when 10 other parents were filming their children climbing onto the bus. LOL – at least I’m not alone!
I’m a big fan of the obligatory first day of school photo, but I wanted to take it one step further this year and create a questionnaire for the kids to fill out on their first day, and another to fill out on their last day of school. It will be awesome to compare their answers and see how much they’ve grown and changed in just one school year!
The 8.5×11″ first day of school questionnaire printable includes questions like how old they are, what grade they entering, what they want to be when they grow up, their teacher, and some details about the year ahead. My daughter always requires some extra confidence at the start of the school year, so I also included a section where kids can fill in their strengths; what subject they are good at, what they are going to try really hard at this year, and what about them makes them a good friend. This way, they can focus on what they are good at and start the school year with a boost! And of course, there is room for that every important “first day of school” photo.
The matching 8.5×11″ last day of school questionnaire printable includes many of the same questions, so you can see how their answers have changed over the course of the year. It also reflects on their year (their friends, their favorite project and what they liked to do at recess) and allows them to think about what they are proud of themselves for accomplishing, what they learned, and what they did that was brave. Just like the first day printable, there is a space for a last day of school photo (naturally).
Both of these questionnaires match my School Years Memory Book and would be great for printing out each year and tucking away in their corresponding folders! The questionnaires supplement the questions asked in the memory book and gives you a more in-depth way to document the year.
I love tucking my School Years Memory Book and all the extra papers and projects I save from my kids into their wooden keepsake boxes, too! One day they will look back and be thrilled to have all these memories stored in one place (at least, that’s what every documenting mother hopes…).
