DIY Back to School Sign ⋆ Growing Up Kemper

Tomorrow, our sweet almost four year old Jackson starts back up at preschool and I truly don’t know who’s more excited: Jackson or Colton! In true first-born fashion, Jackson loves to learn, loves all things academics, and has adored school since he stepped through the doors on his first day. Colton, in true second-born fashion, has no desire to go to school. Like ever. That’s okay, little man, we can spend all the one-on-one time you would like! 🙂

So in preparation for tomorrow, I’ve been working on getting his DIY Back to School Sign prepped and updated for alllll the pictures tomorrow. I’ve done a post on this Back to School sign in the past, so this is a little redundant for me, but it’s always one of my top pins on Pinterest around this time of year and gets plenty of traffic on Growing Up Kemper. I felt like it was time to update the post and give a little refresher on how I do our DIY Back to School Sign!

Materials:

To get started, nab yourself:

Unfinished, oversized wood letter – purchased mine from Hobby Lobby but another great option linked!

Black chalkboard paint

Fine Tip Chalkboard Markers – Amazon ones linked here, but I’ve also used these chalk markers from Target and have loved them!

Categories

When Jackson was much smaller and just starting school, I kept the categories pretty generic. I would ask him the following and write down any answers he had for me on the sign using different colors of chalk marker and different fonts. No rules, no pattern, no right or wrong. I just wrote. My categories I chose when he was little were:

Name
Classroom (First Day of…)
Date
I Love…
I Am … (age)

Now that he’s getting older, I’m adding categories this year because he can truly answer those questions for me. Before, when I would ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up, the answer I got was always, “I want to be Jackson.” Heartwarming, adorable, and one of the best answers I personally think there is out there. Shouldn’t that be what we all want to be when we grow up? “The best ‘insert name here’ there is.”

But this year, he’s giving me an occupation, telling me about all his favorite things to do, and is even telling me what he’s excited about.

This sign is fun because the possibilities are endless here! Maybe add in a ‘What I Want to be When I Grow Up,’ ‘Favorite Subject,’ or a ‘I’m Most Excited For…’ Truly be as creative as you’d like to be!

Tomorrow, I’ll post a recap of our first day of school with all the pictures and finished signs for you to check out! But for now, let’s pull out the tissues and cue the sniffles for a little Back to School rewind. 😪

Mother’s Day Out 2017