Inside: If you homeschool and you don’t already celebrate Not Back to School day, what are you waiting for?! Here are 21 fun ideas for making Not Back to School day (or week!) special for your homeschooled kids.
I’ve never been much for holidays.
With the exception of the four days we spend at the ocean every year, give me your average day with our regular routines over a holiday any day of the week.
I’m not much for Christmas, and while Halloween is quickly becoming an enjoyable holiday for me, it still feels like lot of work and money for one day.
But there is one holiday I can get behind year after year after year.
It’s not a national holiday, or even one that the majority of the world celebrates. Not even everyone in the homeschool community celebrates it.
What is this holiday you ask? It’s called “Not Back to School Day.”
What the Heck is Not Back to School Day?
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This holiday doesn’t have a hard and fast date. It’s a moving holiday usually based around your local school’s calendar.
Most homeschoolers celebrate it the first day – or week – that the schools in your area are back in school.
It’s when the parks and the museums and the theaters and the beaches are blissfully empty again except for homeschoolers and caregivers with young children.
It’s a day to remember how fortunate we are to be able to homeschool.
That we live in a country where you can homeschool at all, and that our family is fortunate enough to make enough money and have the type of jobs where school is not a necessity.
I don’t take those things for granted. Every year, I’m thankful for them all over again because there is no guarantee they will last forever.
We take this whole homeschool thing one year at a time.
P.S. I love the wall calendar shown above! It keeps us organized and on top of things (well, most of the time). Read my full 1Thrive review HERE.
21 Fun Ways to Celebrate Not Back to School Day
You can do the same thing year after year OR change it up.
If you’ve never celebrated Not Back to School Day, or if you’re looking for new and fresh ideas of how to celebrate, here’s a list of fun options!
I tried to include a variety of options for every budget.
Related: 24 Benefits of Homeschooling Your Kids – to Remember On the Hard Days
1. Ice Cream or Italian Ice Out
We rarely get ice cream out because golly days it’s so expensive, so it’s always a treat.
The last two years we’ve visited Rita’s Italian Ice on Not Back to School Day. It’s a treat that, unlike ice cream, we wouldn’t be able to get at the store.
2. Ice Cream Sundae Bar at Home
If Italian Ice is not your thing, and you just can’t stomach the price of ice cream out, go for a full ice cream sundae bar at home!
Hot fudge. Whipped Cream. Sprinkles. Cherries. Multiple flavors. All for less than the price of ice cream out.
3. Ice Skating or Roller Skating
Ice skating or roller skating – either one could be a fun experience if it’s not a usual activity for your family.
My kids get SUPER hot in roller skating rinks, to the point of not enjoying it anymore, so we need to try ice skating one of these days, instead.
4. Bike Ride
If you have bikes and the ability to transport them, head to a longer trail and go for a long bike ride together!
Or rent bikes at a local trail and enjoy not having to own/store/maintain nice bikes yourself.
5. Lake Trip
If lake trips aren’t normal for your family, they could be a great change of pace for Not Back to School Day.
Especially since our local State Park lake is always packed on the weekends and in the summertime, when everyone heads back to school is a great time to go.
6. Rock Climbing
I took my older kids to a rock climbing gym this year, and they had a blast!
We bought ten climbs with an employee belaying, and they split them.
(If you’re feeling brave and thinking you might want to come back and do it again, you could take a belaying lesson first. It’s much cheaper if you belay the kids yourself.)
7. Special Dessert
Is there a dessert you don’t typically make? Cheesecake? Pie?
Have a baking day the day before, and enjoy the fruits of your labor on Not Back to School Day.
8. Beach Day
Live close enough to the beach for a day trip? Head to the beach while everyone else is at school.
Invite your homeschool besties for even more fun!
9. Tubing or Kayaking
In September, the weather is still great for all things water!
Going tubing or kayaking can be a super fun outing for Not Back to School Day.
10. Pool Day
Pools empty when school is back in session.
It’s a great time of year to invite homeschool friends to the local pool and enjoy!
11. Arcade
We only visit the arcade once a year during our annual beach vacation.
(It’s how we put our kids off every year when they beg to go during our local amusement park trip.)
If arcades are not typical for your family, it could be fun to visit one for Not Back to School Day.
12. Escape Room
Escape rooms are so popular now! We haven’t done one yet ourselves, but I hear they’re so fun.
If there’s a local Escape Room, check it out for Not Back to School Day. Their schedule will probably be wiiiide open.
13. New-to-You Playground
When our oldest kids were younger, we loved finding new playgrounds within a 45 mile radius! There’s nothing like a new, impressive playground to occupy them for hours.
Or if you’ve already been to a fantastic playground, but it’s not a regular trip because it’s a longer drive, this might be the perfect day to make the trip.
Pack a picnic lunch while you’re at it!
14. Amusement Park
This would obviously be a pricier option, but we always go to amusement parks during off season times, when the prices are often lower.
The lines are so much shorter, too, so you get a lot more out of your ticket.
If it’s open during the first week of school, enjoy the park without the crowds!
15. Tour Your City
Is there a site in your city or a city nearby you’ve been meaning to see? Now’s the time!
Tourism will likely be down, and there are certainly no school field trips the first day of school.
16. Museum
I know, I know, it’s a stereotypical homeschooler way to spend a holiday.
But if your kids adore museums, I say go for it! It will sure be less crowded than at other time of the year.
17. Movies
So many movie theaters offer discounted Tuesday movie tickets.
Granted, it all depends on there being something worth seeing, but who knows, there might be?
18. Movie Marathon at Home
Nothing good to see in the theaters? Rent some movies from the library (or iTunes) and do a movie marathon at home!
Complete with Dollar Store candy and popcorn, you can’t beat the price of this option, that’s for sure.
19. Mall Trip
For a while there, malls seemed to be dying – and some definitely did die. But overall, malls appear to be making a comeback.
If you have kids who enjoy that mall energy, this could be a fun outing – especially if they’ve been working and saving up all summer.
20. Candy Shop
Do you have a unique candy shop nearby? The kind where you can buy candies by weight? So fun!
Set a budget per kid and let them have a blast!
21. Board Game Day
Maybe you’re a homebody gaming family to the core.
Get a new board game (or just play old favorites) and yummy snacks and game the day away while everyone else is in school.
22. Attend (or Throw) a “Not Back to School” Party
Are you fortunate enough to live in a vibrant homeschool community where a group or co-op are throwing a Not Back to School bash? Get in on that action!
If not, if you have a solid homeschool group and you love party planning, you could see if there’s any interest in having a “Not Back to School” party.
Read Next: You Don’t Need to Turn Everything Into a Learning Experience
How do YOU celebrate Not Back to School day? Especially if you have an idea not listed here, share in the comments!
