The summer holidays are almost over, which is good news for parents who need a breather but perhaps not so much for the kids who are used to riding their bikes and having water balloon battles every day.
Still, the start of a new school year is also an exciting time, as the children get to learn new topics, reconnect with their classmates, and move up a year. To give your kids a summer to remember, we’ve put together some ideas for a fun and creative back-to-school party.
It’s also a nice touch to give the kids one of our back-to-school cards for the new academic year, as this will inspire and motivate them ahead of their return to school.
Tips for organising a back-to-school party
To make life easier for yourself when pulling together a back-to-school party, consider asking the parents of other classmates if they’d like to be involved. That way, you can not only spread out potential costs but also the different bits and bobs that need to be sorted along the way.
- Decide on a date for your back-to-school party
- Settle on a fun theme
- Find the right venue
- Sort out some fun games and activities
- Pull together a menu of your food and drink options
Once that’s all sorted, it’s just the invitations you need to send out! This is a great opportunity to get the kids involved and could be good old-fashioned written invitations or digital versions made using a free online platform like Canva.
Make sure to add all of the details that parents need to know, including the date, time, location, and any special instructions, such as the theme and costume details. It’s also a good idea to ask the parents to let you know about any dietary requirements.
When should you host a back-to-school party?
Given what the party is for, this does immediately narrow down what dates you’ll be looking at. However, it’s up to you whether you decide to host your part the week before the kids go back or perhaps during the first couple of weeks of the new school year – either one works!
Back-to-school party themes
Every party is more fun if there’s a theme, as it gives the kids an opportunity to dress up, and any photos you take at the party will look fantastic. Our team put their heads together and came up with some interesting back-to-school party themes.
1. Science celebration
What better way to spark curiosity and get the old grey matter in full flow than with a science theme for your back-to-school party? Lab coats are an easy costume to make, and it also means the children’s regular clothes won’t get dirty. Add some safety goggles and they’ll feel like real scientists, which means they can carry out experiments using home science kits designed for children. You could also fill some plastic beakers and test tubes with fizzy pop and fruit juice, and maybe even build baking soda and vinegar volcanoes!
2. Bookworm bash
The joy of reading should always be encouraged and celebrated, so how about a back-to-school party where the kids bring their favourite books? This is a great way to get them talking about stories, especially if you set up a cosy reading corner with bean bags and have a story time session. This kind of back-to-school party is perfect for costumes too, as the kids can come dressed as their favourite book characters, just like on World Book Day.
3. School supply theme
Okay, this one may sound a bit weird but hear us out. By making school itself the theme for your party, the kids will be much more in the mood for returning to lessons. The decorations are easy to organise, as they can be made from pencils, erasers, notebooks, and rulers – it’s a great opportunity to get creative and see what you can think up. The tablecloth could be decorated as the periodic table of elements, the kids can be given inflatable globes to play with in the garden, and you could also set aside a section of ground in the garden for chalk drawings.
None of those three standing out? Here are some more possible back-to-school party themes:
- Superhero party
- Safari theme party
- Teddy bear’s picnic
- Pyjama party
- Pirate party
Back-to-school party venue options
Some venues where you can set up your very own back-to-school party could include:
- Your home or garden
- A local park
- The beach (if you’re lucky enough to be close enough to the coast)
- A village hall or community centre
Alternatively, you could reserve a location where the main activity is already sorted, which you can then tick off your to-do list, such as:
- A bowling alley
- The cinema
- A laser tag arena
- An ice rink
Activities for your back-to-school party
Every party needs some sort of games and activities to keep the kids busy and entertained, so here are a few fun suggestions.
1. Scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt is always a good idea for a children’s party, as it brings the kids together for a shared activity and inspires a little healthy competition. It’s very easy to organise too, as you simply hide items around the house or garden before the party begins, then give everyone a list of clues so that they can find them. If there are quite a few guests, split them into teams and give out prizes afterwards.
Be sure to check out our guide on how to plan your own treasure hunt for more inspiration.
2. Craft station
Why not invite the kids to unleash their imaginations through arts and crafts? They can draw pictures, build things out of dry pasta and pipe cleaners, and create zany characters using Play-Doh. If you want to make it a group activity where everyone is involved at the same time, the children could be put into pairs and draw each other’s portraits.
3. Outdoor games
If the weather is dry and sunny (fingers crossed), get everyone out into the garden for some outdoor games. Seeing how this is a back-to-school party, the games could give a nod to classic sports day competitions, such as an egg and spoon race, tug-of-war, and a three-legged race. Physical activities are a brilliant way for the kids to enjoy the fresh air and burn off energy, which will also put you in the other parents’ good books.
4. Write out cards for their favourite teachers
Teachers do so much for young ones and it’s lovely when students show their appreciation. As a little back-to-school party activity, you could give the children a card each so that they can write thank you messages for their teachers to give them once school is back in session.
If your own child wants to get their favourite teacher or form tutor a present, we’ve also pulled together some teacher gift ideas.
Food and drink ideas for your back-to-school party
Whatever you do, don’t forget the food and drink for your back-to-school party! This can be anything you’d like to offer the kids, so we’ve come up with a couple of suggestions. If you have time, get your own kids involved in the kitchen and see what you can whip up.
- Healthy snacks: Chances are that all of the kids have probably been treated to some junk food during the summer holidays, in which case you might want to provide delicious healthy snacks. We’re talking vegetable sticks with houmous, mini bowls of trail mix, individual yoghurt pots, and brightly coloured fruit skewers.
- School-themed treats: You can get creative with the food and drink by tying them in with your party theme. Think homemade pencil-shaped cookies with icing, snack plates with food shaped as space rockets, and mini brownies decorated with numbers for maths games all work well.
- Classic children’s party food: Give in to the kids’ cravings and serve out absolute classics like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, sausage rolls, cupcakes, and party rings.
- Picnic or lunchbox favourites: By this, we mean along the lines of mini sandwiches (always with the crusts cut off, though, of course), pasta salad, juice cartons, and some sort of sweet treat to top it off – maybe a piece of cake given the occasion?
Whatever type of back-to-school party you throw, we’re sure it will be a fantastic celebration for the kids and the perfect way for them to return to lessons. Or, if you still want to join in the fun but have offspring that have long since moved on from primary and high school and are actually finishing up university, check out our graduation party ideas.
And that’s it from us, we hope you have an amazing back-to-school party and that you have just as much fun as the kids! For more fun celebration ideas and inspiration, be sure to check out the rest of the thortful blog.
