100 Party Themes
First Birthday
Favorite Birthday
Favorites by Age
Holiday Parties
Invitations
Decorations
Party Favors
Discount Coupons
Planning Guide
Checklist
Games & Activities
Fun Food
Helpful Hints
Party Directory
The end of August is a mixed blessing for most school children. The carefree days of summer are coming to end, but the thought of a new school year is exciting. Make the end of summer vacation more fun for your child with a back-to-school celebration.
Fun Invitations
Make invitations for a Back-to-School party in the style of a report card or homework assignment or cut out invitations in the shape of a large red apple, yellow school bus, or #2 pencil. Buy inexpensive notebooks or note pads and write invitation on cover or front page. More Invitation ideas!
Fun Decorations
Decorate the party area with balloons and streamers in red, yellow, and blue or your child's school colors and large paper cut outs in the shape of apples, school buses, numbers and letters. Display real apples, big piles of books, globes and maps. More Decoration ideas!
Fun Games & Activities
Play 20 questions, bingo or a back-to-school wordsearch, as well as active schoolyard games like dodge ball, Simon says, and relay races. Have get ready for school race to see who can pack lunch bag, collect homework, put on back pack, and run to "school house" the quickest. You could even schedule the party like a school day and ring a bell between the following sessions... home room (arriving), PE (games & activities), Art (arts & crafts), recess (free play), and lunch time (refreshments). Show a classic school-themed movie to older children, such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Never Been Kissed, or the Dead Poet's Society. More Games & Activities!
Creative Arts & Crafts
Have guests decorate book marks and and pencils boxes. Set-up a craft table for painting, collage, and clay sculpting. Make and test paper airplanes. More Arts & Crafts ideas!
Fun Foods
Serve school time favories like peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, string cheese, baby carrots, grapes, pudding or applesauce cups, chocolate chip cookies and juice boxes. Pack the party foods in individual brown lunch bags and write each quest's name on his/her lunch bag. Make cheerful school bus cupcakes. More Fun Food ideas!
Fun Party Favors
Fill favor bags with crayons, pencils, erasers, note pads, and stencils. More Party Favor ideas!
Special Resources
Check out Back to School craft ideas, Alphabet coloring pages and Back-to-School coloring pages for inspiration. Visit the Kids' Party Fun Directory for party places, entertainment, and rentals in your area. More Party Resources.
Related Party Themes
Similar party themes, include Harry Potter Party, Labor Day, Block Party and Summer. More Party Themes!