1st & Last Day Of School Photo Ideas & Free First Day Of School Printables

The first day of school is a special occasion for kids and parents alike. It marks the beginning of something new, important, and exciting. These first day of school printables and back to school photo ideas will help make this momentous occasion even more memorable for your kids and for you by adding a fun prop to your 1st day of school photographs!

There are loads of free printable first day of school templates you can personalise and download, for their first day ever or for a first day or a new school year.

The first day of school can be a nerve-wracking experience for some kids, but one that should be memorable and celebrated.

Plus it can be incredible to see how much your child has grown in a single year, from that first day of school photo to that last day of school photo. Or in comparison to their next school year.

First Day Of School Photos

Taking an annual first and last day of school photo is a fun tradition for many families at back to school time.

These printable signs and templates can be a fun addition to those milestone photos, making it really easy to know what year it was taken for future reference too!

While your child might groan at the thought of another first-day photo session, there’s a good chance they will be so grateful you started and kept this tradition up each of their schooling years when they are able to reflect back.

And if you’re really organised, you might even be able to turn them into a fun slideshow for them come graduation time!

The first day of school is a special day in your child’s life!

It’s the start of the next chapter in their life, so it’s always worth taking some great photos to remember what they were wearing or how excited they were when it was finally time.

And don’t just take one photo either – as we all know that first-day photo often looks very different from that last day of school photo.

Here are some fun first day of school photo ideas to inspire you:

Back To School Letterboard Photo

If you want a simple idea for back to school photos each year that you can change up fairly easily, a letter board can be a great investment!

We update ours ready for the first day of school each year for both girls and to make it easier, I got a second board so I don’t have to change too much or rush on that first morning before school. Now that we have 2, I can have both girls in the photo together as well as taking individual back to school photos.

These large letter boards are just $12 at Kmart Australia and you can get extra letters too, although we haven’t needed to. We started this back when our eldest was in prep so it has been a fun tradition to do each year. She is now in 3rd grade.

It makes a great reusable first day of school sign and I love that it also records their favourite things each year, so we can look back at previous years and remember.

Find letterboards online >>> HERE

Back To School Handprint Shirt

This fun back to school photo idea is a great way to watch your child grow over the years as this huge shirt starts to fit a little better each year.

It is made using a cutting machine, such as a Silhouette Cameo or Cricut and you can find the tutorial online HERE.

Each year have your child add a handprint under the grade year to see their hands grow in size too, then on the morning they are ready to head back to school, snap a funny photo of them in their oversized t-shirt.

You can read my Cricut Joy review & beginner guide here if you’re curious about getting a machine of your own.

Back To School Chalkboard & Props

You can’t get much easier with back to school photos at the beginning of the year than using a chalkboard that you already own as a photo prop for the big day.

If you have a freestanding chalkboard, like this one, you can stand it beside your kids. Or use a smaller chalkboard and have one of them hold it up instead.

This can be a serious first day of school photo or add some silly props or funny faces to turn it into a funny back to school photo idea. This can be a great first day of school photo idea if your child is shy in front of the camera, giving them some props as a fun way to document those first days of school.

First Day of School Signs

If you want to capture this momentous occasion with memories both happy and sad, why not try some super cute printable signs like these?

The best part about them is being able to commemorate each year by adding an ”First Day” sign for every yearly picture taken.

These free printable last day of school signs are perfect for documenting that first day of a new year or a new school, even if you’ve left it until the last minute since they can be printed on a home printer quickly.

These free printables can be used right from the very first day of pre-k, kindergarten or prep, with many including templates right through high school up until 12th grade.

1. Editable First Day Of School Signs

These first day of school signs from preschool and kindergarten right through to 6th grade are fun and colourful.

Best of all, you can edit them at home to include the current school year or the exact date, or add in your child’s name instead for a fun and first day of school photo prop. You will find simple instructions to edit the downloads yourself at home. Grab these printables HERE.

2. Edible About Me First Day of School Signs

These first day of school signs are perfect for capturing many of the important first day details that you don’t want to forget for your child.

This first day of school template set are editable in the free editing tool Canva. Or, just print the blank versions, add them to a frame and use a dry erase pen to add the details each year for a reusable first day of school sign to use for each grade level.

The template comes in both chalkboard background or notebook so you can decide your favourite version to use. There are also several colour combinations in each style. Get the editable templates HERE.

3. Free Printable First Day Of School Signs

These cute first day of school signs include the grade inside an apple with a fun here I come slogan for each year level.

You can print these off and stick them in a frame for your 1st day of school photo, or just have your child hold up the printable as is.

The free printables include preschool or the first day of kindergarten through to grade 7 as well as a slight variation for Pre-K and Kindergarten. Get the free printable templates HERE.

4. Bright Back To School Printables

These bright coloured first day of school signs are available in 3 colour variations – bright, feminine and a black version if you don’t have a colour printer at home. They include free printables for preschool right through to grade 12.

You can also find a link to the matching last day of school signs below, so you can do a side by side comparison each year. Get the free first day signs HERE.

5. Harry Potter First Day Of School Printables

For Harry Potter fans, these first day of school free printables are loads of fun, with 3 different designs available.

There are templates for pre-k, kindergarten, first grade and right through to year 12, so get your wand ready… okay, maybe your digital cameras are a better choice. Get the Harry Potter printables HERE.

6. Star Wars Back To School Printables

If you or your kids love Star Wars, these first day of school printables are perfect for creating fun photo memories, with a different character on each year level and available and templates for pre-k, kindergarten and right through to year 12. Get the free Star Wars school printables HERE.

Last Day Of School Signs

These printable last day of school signs are the perfect way to document the end of year, so you can see a side-by-side comparison of how much your child has grown during the school year.

Each of these end of school year signs also work great for kids doing distance learning or homeschooling since you still want to see how your child looks at the start of the school year and the end of year.

Here are some free last day of school printables:

1. Bright Last Day Of School Printables

These bright coloured last day of school signs are perfect for capturing those memorable photos of your child’s final day of the year alongside the matching first-day signs above.

It looks great in a bright photo frame, but just as good as a simple printed sign too!

These printables come in 3 different colour schemes – this rainbow version, a more feminine colour scheme plus a simple black text version in case you don’t have a colour printer at home. Get the last day of school signs HERE.

2. Editable Last Day Of School Signs

These last day of school signs are editable and pair perfectly with the matching first-day school photos you can also find in the post.

There are 2 different versions to choose from and you can easily edit them inside the free editing program Canva to suit the year or date, especially if like here in Australia, your school year is the same as the calendar year. Get the free editable first and last day templates HERE.

3. Editable Last Day Signs

If you want to have a great side-by-side photo of your child on their first day of school and last day of school, these chalkboard and notepad signs are editable or can be printed and framed or laminated so you can change the details each year with a whiteboard marker. Get these signs HERE.

Whether your child is starting school for the first time or heading back for a new year of school a little older and wiser, it’s always a special memory to record.

These free first day of school printables and fun back to school picture ideas will help you document the milestones from their first year through to their last year and create the perfect side-by-side first and last day photos of each of your child to see just how much they have grown during the school year. This is a fun school tradition to capture first day of school pictures each year and your child will love looking back on them in years to come.