Free First Day of School Signs for Preschool Through College

A first day photo can become a family tradition without adding a complicated task to a busy morning. These free printable signs come in two designs and cover 17 stages, from preschool through college. Choose a style, print the page you need, and you’ll have a simple prop ready for a quick picture.

The signs are undated, so the same set can work for more than one child and more than one year. That makes them useful to keep with other family keepsakes: when a new school year begins, there’s no need to find a fresh sign with the right date.

Two designs, 17 grade options

Both PDF sets include the same choices. You can pick the colorful design with a white background or the chalkboard style with white lettering. The grade options are:

• Preschool
• Pre-K
• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
• 2nd Grade
• 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade
• 5th Grade
• 6th Grade
• 7th Grade
• 8th Grade
• 9th Grade
• 10th Grade
• 11th Grade
• 12th Grade
• High School
• College

The separate High School sign can suit a photo that marks that broader stage, while the numbered options let you mark a particular grade. College is included as a bonus choice. Since neither design has a year printed on it, the signs can also work for siblings at different ages or for a family that wants to use the same look each year.

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Print only the pages you need

Each design comes as a non-editable PDF download. That keeps the process straightforward: open the file, select the grade page you want, and print it. You don’t need to print every page in the set when you only need one sign.

Regular paper is a good choice if you plan to put the sign in a frame. If your child will hold it directly, cardstock can make the paper sturdier in their hands. Either option works; the better fit depends on how you want to use the sign and what you have available at home.

Keep the photo setup simple

A child holding a sign on the front porch is enough to mark the day. Taking the picture in the same place each year gives the photos a consistent backdrop, making it easier to see how much the children have grown. The goal can be a useful record of the milestone, not an elaborate photo setup.

For families with more than one child, take an individual picture of each child with the sign for their grade, then gather everyone for a group photo. That gives each child a moment in the frame and leaves you with one picture of the whole family, without needing a separate setup for each person.

Homeschool families can use the signs too. Choose the first day of learning, print the appropriate pages, and use the photos to mark the start of another year. Teachers may also find them handy as classroom photo props: print the grade needed and use that sign for each child’s picture.

Download the free sign sets

Pick the look that suits your photos. Each PDF contains all 17 signs, so you can save the file and return to it when another child or another school year calls for a different page.

Colorful design: Download the colorful first day of school signs as a PDF.

Chalkboard design: Download the chalkboard first day of school signs as a PDF.

Save the file somewhere easy to locate, such as with other family printables. Because the signs have no year on them, you can reuse the download rather than looking for a new set whenever the school year changes.

More printables for the school year

If you’d like a matching way to mark the end of the year, find the free last day of school printable signs in the same colorful and chalkboard styles.

For more activities and ideas to print at home or use in class, browse the free printables collection. Keeping a small set of reusable pages together can make it easier to bring out a familiar photo tradition when the next school year begins.

The post Free First Day of School Printable Signs for Every Grade appeared first on Joyfully Thriving.