The excitement of a new school year is coming. I always hate to see summer come to an end, but there is something magical about going back to school. These back-to-school party ideas are sure to capitalize on all the excitement and fun.
No matter if your kids are going back to public school, private school, charter school, or homeschooling, you are going to love these top 20 best back-to-school party ideas and tips and tricks to transition to a school schedule.
1. Back-To-School Party Ideas
There are so many fun ways to celebrate going back to school. There are some really cute options for school party invitations. I love the ones on Greeting Island. They are simple to download and fill out, so you can get your invites out quickly.
This invitation is from Canva. It is a simple back-to-school bash invitation to celebrate the end of summer.
2. Back-To-School Block Party
We love getting to know our neighbors. It creates unity in our community and safety. A back-to-school block party is a great idea. The kids will be so excited to see their friends and celebrate this exciting time of year.
We always love to do potluck block parties. It takes the pressure off the one who is hosting, and there is always a variety of foods, so no one goes hungry. A great potluck for a back-to-school block party would be a BBQ theme.
You could grill hotdogs and hamburgers, and all the neighbors could bring their favorite summer sides and drinks. It’s a great idea to have an RSVP on your invitation so you can prepare for how many neighbors will be attending.
3. Back-To-School Ice Cream Party
An ice cream party would be a great idea for a back-to-school block party. Check out these ice cream party planning ideas. We love grabbing those big containers of ice cream from our local restaurant supply store. It’s such an easy way to gather neighbors and friends together to celebrate the new school year.
4. Back-To-School Theme Party
Back-to-school is so fun. The excitement of the first day of school is contagious and is sure to bring a fun feel to your party. Having a theme for a party always makes it easier to plan. Here are some really fun decorations for your back-to-school theme party.
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These are some fun party favors for a back-to-school party theme. We have had a couple of these multicolored pens. They are really fun.
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A swimming pool party would be a great back-to-school theme party. It’s always hard to see the end of the sunshine and freedom of summer. One last swimming pool party is always a good idea.
5. Back-To-School Party Ideas – Food
I always think of apples when I think of school. A great idea for a food item at your back-to-school party is apples and caramel.
You can make these amazing caramel apples which are sure to be a show-stopper. Mel makes beautiful ones. You can get a more simple but still yummy route by slicing up apples and making a caramel apple dip.
Homemade pizza is a really fun back-to-school party food idea. I love that you can choose your own toppings and make them creative and fun. We always love to make a dessert pizza with the last of our pizza dough.
Ice cream is a great back-to-school party food idea. It’s easy to feed a crowd, and everyone loves ice cream. Check out these ideas for some awesome ice cream party ideas to help you plan a back-to-school ice cream party.
6. Back-To-School Party Ideas – Games and Activities
Bobbing for apples is sure to be a hit as a fun back-to-school party game. Nothing screams back to school more than apples!
We love these Guess In 10 trivia games. It’s a great option for an activity at your back-to-school party. What a fun way to get your brain warmed up for school. It can be played with 2-6 players.
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We also love this states and capitals games. The Scrambled States of America makes it fun to learn about the states and capitals. My kids forget they are learning with these fun and educational games.
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Back-to-School Pictionary is a fun game to play. This is a great game, no matter the size of your guest list. It can be played in a small group or a big group. Here is an easy and fun Pictionary page for back-to-school fun.
Charades is another simple idea that is an easy and fun group game to play at your back-to-school party. I love this charades game on Etsy. It is easy to download and play on the same day.
Tip: If you have party guests that are younger kids with other kids as well, one of the amazing ways to keep them all active in your games is to have a prize for the winner. Even the older kids will enjoy musical chairs if they know there is an incentive to win. Everyone loves prizes.
A school supplies scavenger hunt would be a really fun family game at your family’s back-to-school dinner. What a fun way to get excited to pack your backpack for the start of a new school year.
7. Back-To-School Pool Party Ideas
A great way to celebrate the end of summer is one last pool party. To play off the back-to-school theme, you could bob for apples in the pool.
It’s fun to incorporate a little learning into the games. You could give the kids a little science lesson. Do apples float? Why? What does the word buoyance mean? A fun way to prime their minds before real school begins.
These are super cute balloons that would be fun to use to decorate at your back-to-school pool party.
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I love these pool floats. What a fun way to remind your guests how smart they will be after the next school year.
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These would be great back-to-school pool party favor ideas. These fish erasers are cute and useful.
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8. Back-To-School Breakfast Party Ideas
Breakfast parties are so fun! Breakfast food is a great option and an easy way to feed a crowd. Planning a breakfast party is a great way to get the kids used to getting up early and ready for school. Plan it for the same time school starts and see who can make it on time!
Breakfast foods could include a waffle bar. Make waffles ahead of time and keep them in the oven to warm, so you don’t have guests waiting on you to whip up their waffles.
Everyone loves light and fluffy waffles. Dress it up with lots of different creative toppings such as Nutella, peanut butter, coconut syrup, chocolate chips, strawberries, blueberries, jams, and jellies. With so many options, everyone is sure to find something they will love.
This breakfast bake is another recipe great for a back-to-school breakfast party. It’s a great way to feed a crowd in a short amount of time. Consider including a yogurt parfait bar or bagel bar for those who want a lighter breakfast.
A fun party favor and activity that you could do at your breakfast back-to-school party would be to decorate the cover of composition notebooks. These are on almost everyone’s supplies list.
You can use scrapbook paper to glue on the cover or permanent markers to doodle on the front of the notebook to make it fun. It’s always fun to decorate your school supplies.
9. Back-To-School Bash
Gather your friends and family for a back-to-school bash. What a great thing to get everyone excited for the coming year. It’s always fun to celebrate together. One of the great back-to-school-party ideas. We love reminiscing about our summer fun and sharing our excitement about the new school year.
Choose a day to have your back-to-school bash. We think planning it for the evening of your school’s back-to-school open house is a great idea. The teenagers will love to compare schedules and see who is going to be in their classes.
The elementary kids will be excited to share who their teachers are and how much fun they are going to have on the playground. The parents will enjoy relaxing as they dream of the new schedules and routines that will help keep everyone sane. It’s a great time to celebrate.
10. Back-To-School Decoration Ideas
This back-to-school banner is a fun decoration that will help your back-to-school bash stand out.
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There are so many fun and simple back-to-school party ideas. I love the idea of a yard sign. Keep it up for all to see as they walk, bike, or ride the bus past your house to school.
What a fun, encouraging way to say back to school to all your neighbors and friends.
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11. Back-To-School Dessert Ideas
I love all the creative back-to-school dessert ideas there are. These Rice Crispy Treat Rulers by a Cultivated Nest are adorable.
These back-to-school chalkboard cupcakes are fantastic. What a creative cupcake by In The Kids Kitchen.
12. Back-To-School Event Ideas
We love giving back to the community and teaching our children to look outside themselves and serve. One of our favorite back-to-school event ideas is a supply drive. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to run a donation drive, but it’s actually very simple.
Reach out to your local school or community center to see if there is a need at your school or in your community. There usually is.
We have had luck talking to the nurses or counselors at our schools. They seem to know the needs of our local children well.
Once we have discovered what the needs are, we make a quick flyer. Make it simple and to the point. You want people to know what you are collecting and for who at a quick glance. Have a central drop-off location. If your school isn’t open, you can choose the community center or the library.
Decorate a big cardboard box so people can identify where to drop off their donations. Spread the word by communicating the need to others. Share it on social media, the school’s Facebook page, and the community pages. Hand out flyers to your neighbors and friends.
I have found that it’s easy for most people to grab a few extra school supplies while they are out and about purchasing their own. Most people want to do good. They want to help their community and planning a back-to-school donation drive is a great event.
Service makes the world go round and truly helps us feel joy. We had great success and a lot of fun doing a gently used book drive for a school near us last year.
13. Back-To-School Party Ideas- Theme Dinner
We love the tradition of a family back-to-school-themed dinner. It can be simple, but when it is an intentional tradition, it holds your family together.
Each year we choose a theme for our school year. Last year it was “Be Kind.”
Each morning when I dropped the kids off at school, the last thing I would say is, “I love you. Remember to be kind!” Our theme is something that I want our family to focus on throughout the year.
Choosing a theme is a good idea and can help your dinner be memorable and your school year too. This year our family theme is “Serra’s are Positive.” There is so much negativity in the world, and I know that our positive attitudes can have an influence on our community, school, and friends.
Something new this year that we are doing is to have grandparents write notes to the kids about how they can exemplify our family theme. A friend of ours has been doing this as one of their back-to-school traditions, and I love the idea.
Back to School-themed food ideas can be fun. You can whip up your kid’s favorite school lunch at home, such as pizza, carrot sticks, and cut fruit. The alphabet soup is a fun idea, and picnic foods are another one of those great back-to-school party ideas.
We’ve also done fondue, which was a hit. We used cheese fondue with lots of pieces of bread and vegetables. Then we use fun fruit and chocolate fondue for dessert. It’s always fun to eat and chat about what the new school year will bring.
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Finger foods, such as chips and dip, make for a great back-to-school-themed dinner. Your little scholars are going to love their back-to-school dinner.
14. Back-To-School Tips and Tricks
We love the first day of school celebration ideas and traditions in our family. They help the school kick-off start on a good note, no matter the grade level.
We hope you find a back-to-school party idea or two to help start your school year off right. Here are a few of our family tips and tricks for a successful school year. If you are sending a child to school for the first time, or you are just gearing up for another year, I hope these tricks will help your year go more smoothly.
15. Back-To-School-Sleep
Get to bed on time. It’s always hard to transition from the fun of summer to the schedule of school. The week before school starts, we start to push our bedtime back until it’s where we want it for our school schedule. Getting enough sleep sets the year up for success. Try winding down without screens, which makes it harder to sleep. Our kids enjoy it when we tell family stories, or read books before bed. It seems to help them wind down more quickly.
16. Back-To-School- Role Play
We practice role play. Mornings can be tricky, especially when you have multiple kids that you need to help get ready on time for school. We like to practice how our mornings will look.
Role-playing how we want our mornings to go can sometimes feel silly, but it really helps with younger kids. It helps them internalize what is expected of them and helps the morning run more smoothly.
Role-playing is such a powerful tool, it can help kids transition to school in a smooth and non-anxious way. If your child is nervous about making new friends at school or meeting a new teacher, act out scenarios and watch their confidence soar.
17. Back-To-School- Charts
You can use picture charts for those who can’t read yet and word charts for those that can. When kids have a visual cue to look at to remember what they need to accomplish before and after school helps them develop independence.
18. Back-To-School- Theme Song
A friend of mine told me they choose a theme song for each school year. We started this when we were homeschooling and have continued it now that our kids are back at public school. It works as an auditory cue that it’s time to get ready to head to the car or the bus stop.
We play the song when it’s time to leave or as we are getting into the car. We choose a positive song with a good message to help us start our day right. Last year our song was “ The Best Day of My Life.” It was a great way to start the day on the right foot.
19. Back-To-School- Nightly Prep
This back-to-school idea makes our mornings smoother. Making choices before you go to bed can help the morning move more quickly and effortlessly. Load backpacks and place them by the door. Pick out clothes and shoes, so fewer choices have to be made in the wee hours of the morning.
20. Back-To-School – Mom Tip
Early to rise is my ultimate mom tip. Get up and give yourself time to yourself before your kids wake up. My morning routine starts early, but it sets the stage for my day.
When I choose to do my workout, morning scripture study, meditation, and gratitude journal, I am more patient and helpful with my kids.
Grab this first day of school sign, and take the first day of school photo. The school season is here. It’s a new year of school, and it’s time to do your school shopping and get excited to meet up with old friends.
With all these back-to-school party ideas and tips and tricks, it’s sure to be the best school year yet! Wishing you and your family a great first week of school!