Make sure one of these personalized sign ideas is added to your back-to-school shopping list.
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Back-to-school season is here. You probably already have a list of the school supplies you'll need to grab, like backpacks for the little kids, planners, pencils, folders, and so much more. One thing that should definitely be on your list is one of these cute first-day-of-school signs so that you can snap a picture of your preschool, pre-K, kindergarten, grade school, or even high school and college kids looking adorable in their first-day outfits.
The first day of school signs we found — and DIY ideas you can make yourself — work for all grades and ages and can be personalized with details about your child, like their name, the grade they're entering, their favorite things, and their height. Some are made from wood, while others are adorable mini chalkboards you can write on and customize. Many sets also come with a last day of school sign so you can place the pictures side by side and see how much your kid has grown in just one school year.
While you're doing your back-to-school planning, make sure you check out our roundups of the best back-to-school quotes, back-to-school activities, and even some back-to-school bulletin board ideas that you can share with your child's teacher.
Reviewers love that these adorable signs celebrate your child's first day of school without displaying a ton of personal information, like their name or their school. If you're careful about what you post on social media but still want to share this milestone with friends and family, this sign is perfect.
Shopper review: "This was perfect for back to school. I love the size, it wasn't too big or small. I was searching for a board with minimal personal information and this was perfect."
This Amazon pick comes with everything you'll need to make memories: A chalkboard with prompts like "When I grow up I want to be" and "Favorite subject," eight colorful chalk markers, and a reusable wipe.
Shopper review: "Very simple, nice quality, came with the chalk pens and has both first and last day of school. I bought it for myself for my first day of nursing school but will totally be using it for my children as well."
If you have multiple children, this double-sided sign comes in packs of two or three so everyone can get in on the action. One side is for the first day of the school year while the other side is for the last day and features prompts like "I have learned" and "I enjoyed" that allow you to see how much they've grown in just one year.
Shopper review: "I love this board! I looked at many different options but settled on this one because I appreciated how it had a few questions for things I’d love to remember but without it having an overwhelming number of questions that make it look too busy."
If you've got a kid who's obsessed with all things unicorns and rainbows, these affordable cardstock first day of school signs should be added to your cart ASAP. Since the package comes with 10 boards, you can share them with friends or hold onto them for future back-to-school photos. They come in a handful of other designs, including a chalkboard-inspired one and a floral one. Shopper review: "We love the quality of these and I'm so excited to have this same, cute design for each year of my child's public education. These will create such fun memories. And they're darling! The paper quality is excellent."
This sweet wooden board can be customized with all the things you'll want to remember from this moment in your child's life, like the things they love and what they want to be when they grow up. It also comes with 54 white letters to create their name at the top.
Shopper review: "The sign is cute and perfect for a toddler's first day of school! The board is lightweight and comes with adhesive dots for easily sticking on the "first day of school" or "last day of school" sign. Additionally, I love that the board set includes 7 bonus markers, allowing my little girl to freely choose her favorite color!"
Keep things simple with this sturdy, reusable wooden sign that has one side for the first day of school and another side for the last day of school. Teens will probably be more willing to hold this sign for their photos rather than any of the more colorful signs designed for younger students.
Shopper review: "I wanted a good-looking sign for our 'first day' photos. (I have twin grandsons), but I didn't want it to be 'cheesy'. I ordered this one and I'm glad I did. It's very well made and will last for years."
You can write out your preferred first day of school info, print it out on paper and attach it with a magnet, or use magnetic letters to write it all out. After you've taken the perfect photo, you can wipe it clean and hang it in your house to keep track of everyone's schedules, to-dos, grocery lists, and anything else you need to keep track of.
Shopper review: "Purchased the magnetic board as a deco board for school picture magnets. It looks awesome and was so easy to hang. This was a great purchase!"
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If you've got a sense of humor when it comes to back-to-school photos, let your kids and their friends pose with these funny props for this year's photos. They have fun PG-rated messages like "Goodbye summer, hello homework" and "Only here for recess."
Shopper review: "I bought these to use with 7th graders and I am so pleased with the quality! The sticks/dowels are long and sturdy and the signs are large and look great in pictures."
This is a first day of school sign and a summer craft project all in one. It comes with easy assembly instructions that allow kids to create their own photo props for those precious first-day snaps.
Shopper review: I love that the kit includes everything needed to create personalized flags, including pre-cut pennants, letters, and adhesive tabs. It's easy to customize the flags with my child's name, grade, and other details, making them truly unique and special.
This lightweight sign is easy for little hands to hold but big enough that it photographs well. You can fill in information like the first day of school and how old your child is using chalk markers (which should be purchased separately).
Shopper review: Love the way this product is made. Made just right for my toddler to hold on his first day of Pre-K.
While most first day of school signs are chalkboards, this one is different because it's dry-erase. Fill out your child's name, grade, age, height, teacher's name, school's name, favorite subject, and what they want to be when they grow up to remember special tidbits about their journey. Dry-erase markers are not included.
Shopper review: "They are very nice quality and the style is adorable — like a notebook page. I used dry-erase markers, bright colors look really good. They wiped clean easily with a paper towel, no staining. I look forward to using these year after year as my kids go through school."
Shaped like an apple — perfect for the teacher's pet — this sign showcases your child's grade, age, first day of school date, what they love, and what they want to be when they grow up. We love the vibrant colors, too. You'll also get a last day of school sign in this pack to save for later. Shopper review: "I was pleased with how nice the design looked right out of the box. The colors are vibrant and the images aren’t too “baby-ish” which was great because I have one kid in pre-k and the other in 4th. I purchased colored chalk markers separately and they looked awesome on the chalk board.
What we love most about this set of two signs is the price. You'll get your money's worth with a "first day of" sign and a "last day of" sign. You can also use it for daycare, summer camp, dance class, or really any activity you want to document. You'll just need some chalk to fill it out before you snap a pic.
Shopper review: "I love that the board is simple. It doesn’t have all the personal info. It’s vibrant and easy to clean. I used regular chalk and when I clean it, it looks brand new."
This pencil sign for the first and last day of school is both darling and so simple. Just fill out one field with a dry-erase marker so you can reuse it over and over again. We love that it looks like a pencil — so appropriate for young elementary school kids.
Shopper review: "I wanted something simple for my class to take first-day pictures. Instead of writing on it I simply printed out my class grade and affixed it with velcro dots. The pictures came out perfect and the kids loved the pencil shape!"
Have a rainbow-and-heart-obsessed child? This colorful pick is designed fabulously with sweetness in mind. While it looks personalized in the photo, you will have to use markers to write in your child's name, grade, what they love, their age, what they want to be when they grow up, their teacher's name, and graduation year. Its other side can be used for the last day. Keep in mind, this is not a chalkboard — it's made of vinyl.
Shopper review: "This little board is super cute. I was worried when I got it that it wouldn’t wash up well after using as it’s a little on the thin side but as soon as we took the back to school pics I washed the chalk marker off and it was fine and good to go for the next use."
Believe it or not, this set comes with 16 different signs: for the first and last day of school from preschool through college. With this set, you won't have to buy any additional signage. You also don't have to write on anything, as each sign is already filled-in.
Shopper review: These back to school signs are perfect! Great for busy moms who forget to make the first/last day signs until last minute (like myself)!
What sets this adorable sign apart from the rest is the sweet ruler frame. Fill out the prompts using various colors of erasable chalk pens. The best part is that you can reuse it for years to come. It will be cool to see how your daughter or son's answers change as they grow up.
Shopper review: "I absolutely love this board!! My favorite part was how easy it was to clean!! It was adorable for my baby’s first day of school pictures!"
While a bit pricier than some of the other options on this list, this rustic-looking wooden chalkboard sign will look great in photos. It's double-sided, magnetic, features unique prompts for your child to fill in (their favorite book, song, food, etc.), and comes with two colored chalkboard markers — so you'll have everything you need for your annual back-to-school photoshoot.
Shopper review: "Very nice chalk marker board. It’s not as overwhelming to look at a lot of other boards, [which] seem to cram in way too much in a small space. Perfect size for young kids to hold onto."
RELATED: Inspiring Back-to-School Quotes Your Kids Will Love
This adorable sign is perfect for the preschooler in your life who is animal obsessed. Featuring a cute elephant on the frame's corners, you'll have fun filling out each prompt. Include your tot and ask them questions to complete before you take a picture. Shopper review: "Cutest board for the first day of school pics! My kid loves elephants so it was perfect for her."
Nothing is cuter than an elementary school kid holding up a sign that looks like a bus. After all, this is probably the only age group who finds riding the bus a fun excursion! This dry-erase board can be used year after year.
Shopper review: "First day of school was that [much] more special because of this product! I can’t wait for every first day and last day of school to come!"
Jamie Ballard (she/her) is a freelance writer and editor who covers news, lifestyle, and entertainment topics, including sex and relationships, TV, movies, books, health, pets, food and drinks, pop culture, shopping, and personal finance. She regularly contributes to Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, and YouGov, among other publications. When she’s not working, you can find her running, traveling, or scrolling TikTok. Follow her on Twitter.
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