The first day of school is a huge milestone—whether your kid is heading into kindergarten, starting a new grade, or just navigating the big feelings that come with new routines, teachers, and friends. That first day takes courage, effort, and a whole lot of showing up.
Why not make it official?
These free printable First Day of School Completion Certificates are a fun, confidence-boosting way to celebrate that accomplishment—at home or in the classroom.
With playful wording, cool modern designs, and easy-to-fill-in fields, they’re perfect for teachers, parents, and caregivers who want to mark the moment with pride (and a little bit of flair).
To personalize your own first day of school certificates you’ll need:
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BASIC SUPPLIES:
- Heavy cardstock or paper
- Our free printable first day of school certificate bundle
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
- Pens, markers, crayons, stickers, etc. (for decoration)
How to Make First Day of School Awards – DIY Instructions
Customize and print the fillable form PDFs.
Our zip file includes an optional font you can install along with instructions. Open the PDF in any standard PDF viewer (like Adobe Acrobat or your browser).
Click into the editable fields and type in: The student’s name, your name, and the date. Print (we recommend choosing the borderless printing option) and ta-da! You’ve got an instant award!
Use the JPEG files in a word processor or app (optional).
Having trouble formatting the PDFs just the way you’d like, or prefer to use your own fun font? We’ve made it simple by including JPEGs of each design.
Open your favorite word processing or design program. Insert the JPEG version of the certificate as an image. Add text boxes on top to customize (or just print and write by hand). This is great for extra layout flexibility or fun add-ons like school logos.
Print and fill in by hand (optional).
Print the certificate of your choice – color or black and white and use markers or pens to fill them in.
Easy Ways to Celebrate the First Day of School with Your Personalized Awards
Once you’ve printed your certificate, here are some fun and meaningful ways to present it…
- Pass them out at a short awards ceremony at the end of the first school day.
- Leave it on their desk to discover at school or daycare on day two.
- Snap a photo of your child holding their certificate (makes a great keepsake!).
- Hand it out during dinner to surprise them with how proud you are.
- Add it to a memory folder or first day of school scrapbook.
- Hang it up on the fridge or in the classroom as a daily reminder of how something they can feel brave, accomplished, or confident about.
3 Simple Ways to Use Your 1st Day of School Certificates
These certificates are more than just a celebration – they can also help support kids emotionally as they prepare for the school year…
1. Play Pretend School
Use the certificates as part of a dramatic play setup where your child plays “teacher” or practices going to school. Have kids fill them out for fun, or present the certificates at the end of the “school day,” to show how fun and rewarding school can be.
2. Ease First-Day Jitters
For kids feeling nervous, run through a mock first day at home. Go through simple routines (packing a backpack, saying goodbye), then surprise them with a certificate to show they’re already rocking it.
3. Decorate Together
After rewarding at school or home, invite kids to add some personal flair by decorating their certificates. This can also be a calming first day wrap-up or after-school activity.
More First Day of School Activities for Kids
Pair these with some great first day of school read-alouds, or add our free printable school bus drawing invitation as a craft project or take-home activity.
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I love seeing all the ways people make these ideas their own! If you're sharing the results of one of our projects, mention or tag me with @barleyandbirch, or share it in the comments of one of our Pinterest project pins.
