Back to school is on the brain for most of us! It’s always nice to do something a little special for your kids, but I think it’s especially called for this year! So much change and uncertainty- some kids are super excited for the upcoming school year, and some are hesitant for a plethora of reasons.

Regardless of whether your children or grandchildren are looking forward to school or dreading it, I’d like to share one of my favorite back to school traditions that will get kiddies excited no matter what their school year looks like!

Shultutes! Basically, a cone of fun goodies to kick off the school year!

When my oldest was getting ready to start kindergarten, I was looking for some fun back to school traditions I could start. I stumbled across shultutes and loved the idea. I also loved the homage to my husband’s strong German line. His grandpa came across the German border during WWII and came here to America. My husband is ½ German, they celebrate Christmas in a German style- there are some very strong German ties! So I thought it would be extra meaningful to implement this little tradition.

A schultute (“school cone”) is a cone filled with sweets and treats to help ease a child’s transition into the school years. Traditionally it is given to a child on the first day of school, and they open it when they get home. I usually give it to my kids the night before school starts. I’ve done it every year and my kids love it!

You can actually buy pre-made schultutes, but they are so easy to make at home as well! I’ve always used construction paper or scrapbook paper that I have on hand and it works wonderfully!

And then of course, the fun part is filling the actually cone!

Here are some ideas that would be great fillers for your cone no matter what your school year looks like this year :

• Fun pencils or pens
• Chapstick
• Crayons
• Watercolor paints
• Chalk
• Sticky notes
• Tape
• A mini stapler
• A small notebook or journal
• Index cards
• Stamps
• Fruit snacks
• Your child’s favorite candy bar or treat

And here are some more individualized ideas:

If your child will be attending school in person:

• Masks (some fun kid ones!)
• A lanyard to hold your child’s mask (so it doesn’t fall on the floor!)
• Hand sanitizer (Bath and Body Works has some really good smelling ones- and even some with glitter that would be perfect for little girls!)
• Little packs of Kleenex

If your child will be homeschooled:

• Some new pajamas! (I homeschool and we do get dressed everyday- but it’s kind of fun to have the occasional pajama day for sure! Especially on the first day of school when everyone else has to get up and get dressed for school!)
• New hand soap for their bathroom (get some in their favorite color!)
• A new water bottle (to help cut down on all the cups they might go through for drinks of water)

These don’t have to be expensive- the idea is that you are usually getting a bunch of new supplies anyway, so why not present it in a fun way? Of course, I usually end up getting a few fun things I might not have otherwise- but that’s part of the fun! But again, these don’t have to be anything fancy or expensive. Even a pack of pencils and crayons, wrapped up in a colorful cone with their name will be exciting for your child!

I’d love to hear about your family’s back to school traditions! Share with us in the comments below.