Whether your kids go to private or public school or are homeschooled it is time to have fun with the most awesome back to school party and activity ideas!
There are so many cool ways to celebrate the freedom to learn!
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Anything can be turned into a party!
Do these activities as a family or with friends. Either way it will be a blast!
1. Back To School Fashion Show
New clothes, current clothes whatever your kids have for this school year can be used at a back to school fashion show.
Create a catwalk. Turn on the spotlights and music. Let the fashion show begin.
So, you don’t need to drag out your power saw to do this. Unless you want to, of course. For those of us who don’t have the time, skills or the desire to build an actual catwalk, we can make it the easy way.
Catwalk for Fashion Show At Home
- Line up items like stuffed animals, books, legos etc. to form the sides of the catwalk. You definitely don’t want to sprinkle legos on the actual runway.
- You could also use fabric. Roll it up lengthwise, tie with scrunchies or something to form the sides of the runway. (We did this once, I should find the photos and put one here.)
Other easy ways to make the back to school fashion show catwalk:
- Washi tape
- Gift wrapping paper
- Plastic tablecloths
- Red carpet or any runner
2. Outfit Book or Poster Board
This goes along with the fashion show. Get creative and come up with various outfits by using new and old clothes with various accessories and hairstyles.
Take photos.
And create an outfit ideas book or poster board so the kids will always know what to wear.
3. Back to School Time Capsule
I think I’d have a hard time waiting for years before getting to open something. So what to do if you are in the same boat.
Make a time capsule to opened years from now… or a fun box to be opened at the end of the school year… let’s face it as fun as learning is there are some of us who really enjoy the freedom of summer (and learning randomly on our own).
What to include in a time capsule:
- summer memories
- pictures of the school outfits
- a favorite character pencil
- a letter to yourself
- your goals for the year
- a book
- “about me page”
Ideas for the fun box:
In addition to the time capsule items, include some of these fun things:
- beach towel
- money or gift card
- backyard games
- beach games
- puzzle
- book
- art supplies
Whichever you choose to do, It will be fun. And what’s stopping you from doing both!
4. Craft Your School Supplies
Back to school shopping is so much fun that the stores rush to put the summer stuff away and the school stuff on the shelves when the summer break has barely started.
(“No way we are letting anyone to forget about school for a couple of weeks!”)
Ooops… This post is about the excitement of going back to school.
So, gather around as a family or with friends and craft cool school supplies.
1. Marbled Pencils
Make marbled pencils or pencils in any style you want: polka dots, stripes, stars, flowers, swirls, emojis…
Customized pencils are so much cooler.
2. Clip Board Makeover
Turn a plain clipboard into a unique one with paint, stickers, markers, washi tape, paper and mod podge etc. Dollar stores sell clipboards that cost… only a dollar! Make them awesomely yours.
3. Pencil Pouch Just The Way You Like It
Any plain pencil pouch works for this project.
These awesome canvas pencil pouches are great for those who would like to decorate them with fabric markers or paint.
Choose your zipper color from a dozen options and get creative!
5. Back To School Scavenger Hunt
The easiest way to do this is to make buying school supplies into a scavenger hunt.
But what is even more fun is to hide those items around the house or party area and send the kids to find them. This way it becomes an awesome back to school party game!
Give everyone a list of items to find. If they all are small things like pencils, pens, erasers and pencil sharpeners give everyone a fun pencil pouch to put them in.
Back to School Scavenger Hunt List:
- glue
- crayons
- eraser
- water colors
- paint brush
- tape
- pencil
- pencil sharpener
- clip board
- calculator
- markers
- lunch box
- water bottle
- backpack
- ruler
- markers
- notebook
- calendar
- scissors
- folder
6. Back To School Campout
Set up a tent in the backyard and have a fun back to school campout. Tell your funniest school stories, eat snacks and maybe even watch a movie together.
7. Back To School Movie Night
Movie nights can be a ton of fun… and relaxing.
Turn your TV area into a movie theater with numbered seats, popcorn, boxed candy, and little trays for holding all your snacks.
Send the friends invites in the form of movie tickets or movie poster.
What to watch:
- High School Musical
- Matilda
- Sky High
- Akeelah and the Bee
- Monsters University
- Wonder
- Diary of A Wimpy Kid
- Harry Potter
- The Magic School Bus
- Freaky Friday
- Jessica Darling’s It List
8. Back To School Game Night
Spend an evening playing fun games. Have a variety of games available from board games to active running around games.
- For 2-6 players
- 2 levels: red for reading level 2-3.5, blue for 3.5 and up
- Go from elementary school through college by reading story cards and answering questions.
- Ages 8 and up
- 4-10 players/teams
- Do you have a song for everything? Now it’s your time to shine!
- Ages 8 and up
- 2-4 players
- Challenging fun for everyone. Be the fist to play all your tiles in this family fun strategy game.
- Ages 7 and up
- 2-6 players
- Find sets of three, steal points by throwing the squishy foam burrito.
So many fun games to choose from!
You’ll also love
- board games to play with your teens and
- the fun backyard games that keep you moving.
- fall themed games for fantastic fall fun
9. Back To School Bash
Simply, have a party!
1. Serve typical school lunch food packed in a paper bag, lunch box, or trays.
- sandwich
- chips
- fruit
- granola bar
- cookie
2. Decorate with school supplies.
3. Play school themed games or make crafts:
- school pictionary or charades
- trivia
- school supply relay race
- school supply scavenger hunt
- Make chalkboard art.
- Prepare a time capsule or do any of the other activities mentioned in this article.
4. Have a photo shoot
5. Give school supplies as party favors.
10. Backpack Stuffing
This is another fun back to school activity for any age.
Get a ton of school supplies, set them on tables, and hand everyone a backpack to be filled with items.
You could let everyone keep their stuff or donate the backpacks.
Teens will have fun doing this while chatting with their friends.
Fall Fun Ideas
Little things make great memories. Look for ways to make daily life fun and plan to host simple parties.
- Fall party to celebrate this beautiful season.
- Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Dinner – a fun family fall tradition
- Thanksgiving Conversation Starters
P.S. Save for later! My Tuesday Therapy is here to help you to make Great Memories!
