Last Day of School Photos You Must Take

Do you have any last day of school photo traditions?

We’ve had a lot of last days recently so it has me thinking about all the little things we do to mark the moment. I always take a quick portrait of each of the boys on their last day both with and without a prop. I make them use the prop for fun and so years from now we can remember what grade they were in, but then I have them put it down and use the opportunity to get a good (dare I even say sometimes frame worthy) head shot. Think about it… they are usually in a fantastic mood and all smiles because …duh… it’s the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! whoop whoop!

Some ideas for that last day of school portrait:

Use a prop. I love our letter board from Letterfolk. It’s clean and simple and I can mix it up and use it for tons of things. There’s a similar one here if your interested. (psst… that’s an affiliate link.. I have to tell you that. That just means if you make a purchase a portion of it goes to support Plain Vanilla Mom, so thank you).
Dress them in the same (or at least part of the same) outfit as their first day of school pictures to see how much they’ve grown.
Stand them in the same spot every year to mark their growth. Think front steps, same tree in the yard. In front of your garage door. The list is endless.

Capture them getting on or off the bus or into the car when you pick them up. I bet the energy is way different on the last day than the first day!
Have the camera ready to capture that smile as they walk in the house on the first day of summer vacation! Woohoo right?
Side by Sides: One of my favorite things do is throw together a quick side by side collage of their first day of school photo and their last day of school photo. You sometimes don’t realize how much they’ve grown and changed until you see the two together.

My kids love this one.

This year we started a new tradition which I think I am going to love. A photo of all three boys together on the front steps of our home on the last day of school. My oldest only has only five (yes I said FIVE) years of school left. Gulp! I’m really excited to see the growth of the boys in relation to each other over the next five years and watch them grow before our eyes right on the front steps of our house. (Maybe eventually I can even get my youngest to cooperate for a photo)!