BACK-TO-SCHOOL DINNER 2024
One of my very favorite times of year is when school starts again. The fresh school supplies, tidied backpacks, and structure speak to my soul (as does more time for myself). New Year’s always feels a bit abrupt and out of place to me. My New Year’s is Back-to-School…which is probably why we celebrate it as a family.
Each year on the Sunday before school starts, I set a fun table and cook a family favorite for us to share one last summer meal and talk about what the year will bring. This year’s theme was “practice not perfection.” I made up some sweet little menus and had them printed on cardstock at Staples. I think printed menus are one of the simplest ways to make a meal feel fancy for low effort and expense! I printed mine in a 5x7” size, but you could do any size you like.
You can grab my eraser graphic below in two sizes. Print it as back-to-school art or print it on the flip-side of your menu! It’s yours for the taking.
Each setting included a paper placemat, a menu, a freshly sharpened pencil & a Pink Pearl eraser. I found the darling acrylic milk cartons in the Target Bullseye section months ago and knew they were made for our annual dinner. Keep your eye out for those throughout the year at Target, or there are these glass ones on Amazon. Blue gingham napkins my Grandma made me when I got married tied it all together.
For the centerpiece, I kept it simple. A white gauze table cloth is a great staple to have in your linen cabinet, because you can use it for any celebration you can think of. I gathered mine to be a runner, raided the fruit drawer for apples and used alphabet cookies as confetti (which, as it happens, is all my 2-year-old ate anyway). Some extra ribbon from teacher gifts looped down the middle added a little more dimension.
For food, I served my oldest’s favorite: grilled cheese & tomato soup. This soup recipe never fails me, and if you aren’t cooking your grilled cheese in the oven yet—repent. I used some parental license and added peas. For dessert? Warm chocolate chip cookies & ice-cold milk.
While we ate, we showed our kids the erasers and gave each member of the family a word that would be tricky for them to spell. When each person spelled the word wrong, we practiced erasing and trying again with help. We talked about perseverance & apologies and all the lovely things erasers can mean. Each year we try to have a conversation that will strengthen our kids for the challenges ahead. Then, each kid in school gets a pin for their backpack. For now, that’s just our Kindergartner, so he got a cute enamel tiger this year.
After dinner we have a special prayer as a family and call it a night. It’s a simple tradition that I’ve come to look forward to as much as any major holiday. I hope it’ll inspire you to add simple traditions that work for your family.
