Help your child get ready for the new school year by hosting a back to school party! This is a great way for children to reconnect with school friends, or celebrate the end of summer with their neighbors. Our Back to School Ideas include suggestions for cute invitations and party games that will help your child say goodbye to summer vacation.
Invitations
Decorations
Food
Party Favors
Games & Activities
Planning & Invitations
The first tasks on a party planning checklist are choosing the date, time and location. Because your guests will be on summer vacation, you will have ample choices for date and time. Deciding where to hold the party can be a little trickier. You can throw a great party in your own backyard, but if you would rather hold the party elsewhere, you may want to consider a nearby beach, recreation center, or amusement park. For additional ideas, see our article on When and Where to Have the Party.
If you would like to host a themed back to school party, we have a variety of patterns that the children would enjoy, including Mickey’s Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, and Cupcake Party. See our entire selection of party themes to choose your favorite!
What do I need for the Party?
Basic party supplies include paper tableware, such as plates, napkins, cups, and cutlery, as well as a tablecloth, streamers, and balloons.
You can stick with the basics, or add other items to fit your theme. For example, for a Back to School Party, you may also want to consider renting or purchasing the following:
- A School-Related Movie (Examples: High School Musical [Rated G], Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone [Rated PG], School of Rock [Rated PG-13], Akeelah and the Bee [Rated PG])
- Karaoke Machine
- Globe and Maps
- Chalk Board
- Desks
For additional help with your shopping, take a look at our Suggested Party Supply List. You may not need everything on the list, but you can use it as a guide.
Back to School Invitations
Make your guests excited for the beginning of the school year by sending them fun and unique invitations to your back to school party! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Print your party details on colored paper and glue it to one side of a flash card. On the other side, write an equation in large print, i.e. 4 + 4 = 8.
- Design each invitation to resemble a report card. Include fun subjects and grades, like “Having Fun – A+”, “Being a Great Friend – A+”, “Soaking Up Summer Sun – A+”, Being Excited About School – B”, “Attending [child’s name]’s Party - ??” Write your party details underneath the grades.
- Staple several pieces of paper together along the left side and write “[child’s name]’s Back to School Party Text Book” on the front. Write one detail about the party on each ‘page’ in the book.
- Write your party details on the side of a brown paper lunch bag. Include an apple in the bag and hand deliver them to your guests.
- Include creative wording for your party details, such as:
Summer was fun,
But school is great!
It’s a back to school bash,
So don’t be late!
If you would rather not make your own invitations, but would still like a personalized touch, consider our Personalized Invitations, which include all the party details for you! We also offer blank invitations that you can fill in yourself.
Whichever invitation option you choose, seal your envelopes with Fun Stickers to add a final festive touch!
Decorating & Food Ideas
Back to School Decorations
While invitations give the first impression of your party, decorations keep that excitement high! You can either decorate to fit a chosen theme (see our themed ideas for suggestions), or decorate in a general school theme using your child’s school colors. Here are some suggestions:
- Balloons are a must at every party! Tie groups of helium balloons to balloon weights and set them around the party area. For added fun, include a shaped Mylar balloon in some of the groups.
- Hang a large world map on one wall of the party area. Cut a star out of gold paper and tack it to the state you live in, to show the children where they are in relation to the rest of the world.
- Hang a banner on your front door that says “Last Days of Summer – Let’s Party!”. See our selection of Personalized Banners for inspiration!
- Cut a large pencil and ruler out of cardboard and prop them up in one corner of the party area.
- Create a school-inspired centerpiece by stacking books in the center of the table and topping it with an apple. Or, use a tabletop globe as your centerpiece.
- Ask each child to send you a school picture of themselves before the party. Make a collage of all the pictures and display it prominently in the party area.
- Hang a chalkboard on one wall of the party area and write equations on it. While you are waiting for everyone to arrive, let your guests try their hand at solving the equations.
- Ask an older child or one of your guest’s parents to dress as a teacher and make balloon animals for the children. Use one of our easy Balloon Kits that include an instruction book, balloons, and balloon inflator.
- Hang a colorful piñata in the party area as a decoration. Later it will become an activity when the children break it open. We offer a selection of both traditional and pull-string piñatas, but any piñata can be converted into a pull-string with these easy instructions.
Back to School Food Ideas
Get creative with your party food by serving theme-specific treats. For a Back to School Party, consider the following ideas:
- Create a menu inspired by school lunches. Set out a tray of sandwiches cut in half on the diagonal along with string cheese, pudding cups, applesauce cups, grapes, baby carrots with ranch dip, and cookies. You could even pack the food in paper lunch bags and lay out some blankets outdoors where your guests can sit and eat.
- Serve cartons of regular and chocolate milk with fun silly straws.
- Serve french fries and popcorn in stadium cups. Set out toppings for the popcorn such as cheese powder, cinnamon and sugar, chocolate sprinkles, and sea salt.
- Use cookie cutters in school-themed shapes (school bus, megaphone, apple) to cut out shapes in sliced cheese and deli meat. Serve with crackers.
- Make a school bus appetizer! Hollow out a loaf of bread and fill it with your favorite dip. Place two cucumber slices on each side for the wheels. Cut out a line of windows above the wheels, and cut a section out of the front for the bus’s windshield.
- Make a pencil-shaped cake! First, cut a 9”x13” cake in half lengthwise, and then place the pieces end to end to form the pencil shape. Cut the edges from one end to look like a pencil tip. Then, cover with yellow frosting and use a tube of black decorator icing to draw on the details.
- As an alternative to cake, set up an ice cream sundae bar. You’ll need chocolate and vanilla ice cream, dishes or cones, and syrups like hot fudge and butterscotch. Set out bowls of sprinkles, sliced fruit, gummy candies, and chocolate chips. Don’t forget the whipped cream and cherries to top it all off!
Back to School Party Favors
Send your guests home with party favors that they can actually use when they go back to school. Fill a small plastic craft box or a lunch box with pencil sets, fun erasers, crayons, and markers. Our bag tags and zipper pulls are perfect for back packs or sports bags, and can be personalized with each guest’s name. Our other personalized favors, like stickers and buttons, are also a big hit!
Back to School Activities and Games
A back to school party should include games that let the children use their minds, along with some activities to keep them moving to use up some of that excess summer energy! Start with a game of twenty questions, making all the items related to school. Or try playing Scrabble, Boggle, or a memory game. For additional ideas, see the Games & Activities section below.
For other party planning tips, our Party Planning 101 Guide includes cake ideas, party etiquette tips, a printable guest list, and more.
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