girl boarding a school bus

Back to School Party

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.

Party 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.

Party 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.

Games & Activities
Play 20 questions, bingo or a back-to-school word search, 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.

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. Check out Back to School craft ideas for inspiration.

Party Refreshments
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.

Party Favors
Fill favor bags with crayons, pencils, erasers, note pads, and stencils.