The 20 Pictures You Should Take of Your Kids on the First Day of School

A kid can't get through the school year without their best buddies. Gather the group before the first day for a few sweet shots.

Count down the time to their graduation with this class year t-shirt idea. When the big day arrives, the top is sure to fit!

Snap a few shots of your child holding a photo of themselves from the previous year. Continue this tradition until they graduate high school, and you'll have quite an impressive picture. Or take first-day photos as normal and have them hold that photo up on their last day of school. The possibilities are endless!

Posed pictures are great, but candid shots are priceless! Step back, and capture your little ones engaging with their peers or siblings.

A new school year means a new teacher. Snap a photo of your child meeting his or her teacher on the first day of school.

Use a photo frame to quite literally frame your child's photo. The fun prop gives a very Modern Family opening credits vibe.

Need some photo inspiration for that back-to-school picture? We love Smile and Wave's chalkboard photo props. Imagine using them on a yearly basis. They'd make a fun archive of your little one's first days of school.

Set up a mini back-to-school photo session with your tot the weekend before school starts. Use your child's new school supplies as props, and play professional photographer for a day.

Taking the same back-to-school picture every year is a great way to document your child's growth. A printed sign that includes the grade, the year, the school, and the teacher's name works well as a prop.

There's a lot to be said for a classic black-and-white shot, but shooting some in black-and-white and others in bright colors gives you options when you go to put together your annual album.

There's no surer sign that school's back in session than seeing yellow school buses roll through town. Before the kids get on the bus, snap a quick picture of them posing with it.

Get to school early and snap a few pictures of your tot in their new classroom.

Back-to-school time is an emotional one for parents, too. If you have a moment, step back and capture your emotions — the pictures are certain to become keepsakes.

Sidewalk chalk art is all the rage, and photos of the work are equally popular. Before heading off to school, take a moment to write out your little one's new grade and then snap a photo of them with it. The cute photo will definitely be one for the memory book!

Think about the bigger picture. Snap some detail shots of everything that goes into going back to school — like backpacks and school supplies. They're part of your tot's back-to-school story, too.

Back to school is an exciting time for kids. They haven't seen some of their friends since the last school year. If you can, snap a few pictures of your children with their friends!

Do you have a special outfit picked out for the first day of school? Hang it or place it on the bed, and take a few pictures to capture every detail.