Summer is coming to a close, and it's back to school for the kids! It's also the one time of year your children might not give you a hard time about smiling for a photo for you, so take advantage. These special milestone photos deserve more than just their spot on your Instagram feed. Check out our 5 best ideas for what to do with back to school photos, from sweet gifts for grandparents to keepsakes your kids will treasure long after graduation. And if picture day is coming up, don't forget our school package prints make ordering a breeze.
Why Take Back to School Photos?
Taking back-to-school photos every year is one of the easiest ways to document your child's growth. Same doorstep, same first-day nerves, totally different kid every September. Even if your surly teen rolls their eyes at the annual photo op, chances are they'll love flipping through them with you one day. Trust us, future them says thank you.
A few reasons the tradition is worth keeping:
- Tracking growth and changes. From kindergarten gap-toothed grins to senior year, you'll have a visual timeline from childhood to adulthood.
- Capturing milestones. The very first day of school, moving up to middle school, starting high school. These transitions fly by, and photos help them stick.
- Documenting the era. Backpacks, stationery, haircuts, and outfit choices all capture the interests, hobbies, and style of the moment. The trends they beg for now will be the nostalgia they laugh about later.
One quick note on safety: if you plan to post back-to-school photos online, consider leaving out or cropping any school logos, uniforms, or signage that identify where your child attends. Save those details for the printed versions at home.
Do Back to School Photos Make Good Gifts?
Absolutely. Back to school photos make wonderful gifts for older family members, especially grandparents and long-distance relatives who don't get to see your kids grow up in person. A printed first-day photo is a small gesture that means a lot.
They also make sweet end-of-year teacher gifts when paired with a heartfelt message. A first-day photo next to a last-day photo shows a teacher exactly how much their student grew under their care.
And don't forget the kids themselves! A personalized photo gift like a labeled water bottle, keychain, or notebook can be a fun way to send them into the new school year feeling special. Browse our favorite back to school gifts for ideas.
What To Do with Back to School Photos?
Once you've snapped the perfect front-porch photo, here's how to give it a life beyond your camera roll. These are our five favorite ideas.
1. Grandparents Day Gifts
Grandparents Day lands right around the start of each school year, making it the perfect excuse to print your first-day photos. No one will cherish these milestone images more, and it's so fun to look back on how much the kids have grown year over year.
Different keepsakes suit different grandparents. A framed print or photo pillow is perfect for the grandparent who loves cozy home decor. A photo keychain or luggage tag is great for the grandparent always on the go. And a mug makes every morning coffee a little sweeter. For long-distance grandparents, a mailed photo gift bridges the miles and lets them feel part of the big day even from states away. Explore our full collection of gifts for grandparents to find the perfect fit.
2. Photo Collage
Save the first-day photos for each of your kids throughout the years, and once they're high school seniors, order a collage print so all those pictures can live in one place. Watching them grow from tiny kindergartner to towering teen in a single frame is equal parts heartwarming and jaw-dropping.
This idea is simple but makes the perfect framed piece for your wall as you become an empty nester. Hang one for each kid and let family and friends admire how much they've grown every time they enter your home.
3. Teacher's Gifts
Turn your back to school photo into the perfect end-of-year teacher's gift! Print the photo from the first day of school and attach it to a popsicle stick, then tuck it into a small potted plant with a card from your child that says "Thank you for helping me grow!" If you're feeling extra generous, add a coffee gift card or a reusable insulated water bottle they can keep at their desk.
Want more ideas teachers will actually use and love? Check out our full guide to gifts for teachers.
4. Buzz Books
Collect the images from the morning of every first day, K through 12, and create a yearly Buzz Book. Include the early morning breakfast, the backpacks lined up by the door, and the pets who insisted on being part of the action. And don't forget to get in the photos yourself! Set up a small tripod or use the self-timer. These little softcover books are so fun to flip through every year, and by graduation you'll have a whole shelf of first-day memories.
5. Graduation Gifts
Get a head start on the most sentimental graduation gift ever. Print your child's first-day photo each year and write a letter on the back of the print. Include their current interests, your wishes and hopes for them, and your favorite thing about them at that exact moment in time. Store the photos in a memory box, then present the whole collection at their high school graduation.
Want to take it a step further? Compile those photos and letters into one of our graduation photo books for a keepsake they'll hold onto forever.
How to Print Back to School Photos
Ready to get those photos off your phone? A few decisions will help your prints look their best:
Choose your paper, size, and mounting. Lustre paper is a popular all-purpose choice with a soft, fingerprint-resistant finish, while glossy makes colors pop and pearl adds a subtle shimmer. Classic sizes like 4x6" and 5x7" are perfect for gifting and memory boxes, while 8x10" and larger work beautifully framed or mounted for the wall. Mounting options like styrene or foamcore add rigidity if you're displaying prints without a frame.
Prep your photos. Upload the highest resolution version of your image for the sharpest results. Our image resolution guide breaks down exactly what you need for every print size. And if the morning light wasn't cooperating, our photo color correction service lets our expert technicians fine-tune color, exposure, and skin tones for you.
Order with NPL. Simply upload your photos, choose your products and options, and our team handcrafts your order right here in the USA. Every order is backed by our Picture Perfect Guarantee, so those milestone memories arrive exactly how you imagined them.
Ready to turn this year's first-day photos into something you can hold? Shop our Photo Prints, Wall Decor and Photo Gifts.
