Great Back To School Party Ideas

The first thing to do before starting the party is to plan it the right way. And a successful planning also includes making (or buying) and sending out the party invitations.

While you can buy the invites for the party, it's much more fun to actually make them, especially if you are a DIY kind of creative person. Of course even when making the invites, you can go about them the hard way, or the easy way.

I found that the easiest and most fun way to do them is to use downloadable templates which you can then simply personalize to your liking. There are literally tons of free invitation templates out there that you can use so choosing the right one for your kind of party should be very easy.

Once you downloaded to your computer the invitation that you will be personalizing, you can open it in one of the software that the invitation calls for and personalize it for each child with their name and even the working on the card.

However if you do want to make your own totally from scratch, here is also a great idea to do it the easy and fun way:

• Take a thicker paper that is used for greeting cards and cut it in half, so from one page you get two invitations.
• Next fold each card in half so you have the front and the cover.
• If you have some fun letter stencils you can use those to write on the card 'It's party time' or 'You're invited to the back to school party', alternatively you can write those with a colored pencil and paint in each letter to another color.

When you create your invitation and it's time to fill in with the information to send out, don't forget to write everything the children need to know, namely:

• When the party will take place (including the actual hour when the party will start)
• Where the party will be
• If there is anything they need to bring along, what that should be

When you plan your back to school party, you also need to think of the venue, where it will take place. Will be it outdoors, in a park maybe? Or will it be in a classroom? Depending on where you will host the party, you will need to decorate the place the right way.

For example if the party is in one of the school classrooms, decorating it will be fun to do. One thing to keep in mind is that the decorations should be the same items (or in the same style) that the children already find in their classroom, so they feel comfortable in the place right away (and can get in the school mood easier), and it should be festive, so the kids know that it is something special organized for them.

They should be also bright in colors, not dull or boring.

• You can make or buy a few posters for the party with designs reminding them of school. A bookworm for those readers out there, math symbols for the big mathematicians and some funny zoo animals for those who love nature, biology and geography, etc.
• Use a few chalkboards and markers or chalk pieces for children to play group games and fill the boards with information, drawings and numbers.
• If your school has a particular color or a mascot, don't forget to bring it along to the party, especially if the venue is someplace else and not your school.
• Create a Welcome Back sign from colorful letters - you can use large alphabet stencils for those to trace the layout and then simply add colorful pins to flesh out the greeting.

Kids will want to play and the best way to get them all together is to organize some common party games to get them all involved. You can create smaller groups or have one big game for the entire crowd.

Of course the games should be all school related somehow, but make them fun, else kids will catch up soon to your plot.

Here are some ideas for fun back to school party games that kids will enjoy:

• Bingo game with prizes
• Mind and puzzle games
• Trivia games
• A scavenger game for finding hidden school supplies (great if the party is outdoors)
• Various games where kids get to know each other better and forge new friendships for the beginning of the new school year

Kids can get easily bored, even with games. So one way to keep them entertained throughout the party is to give them some craft time, something to do that is fun and enjoyable (and educating) at the same time.

Here are some neat idea to get your creative juices flowing:

• I got this idea from Martha Stewart, but it's so fun, I have to share: get the kids to make party hats which they can wear throughout the entire party and take home with them as well. Basically each will have a 2-inch-square paper in patterns or various colors and have them fold it in half to get a rectangle. With some scissors they will cut slits along the end of the paper, each slit at about 1 inch apart from each other, while the end will have around 2 inches on either side. Next the long strips of paper can be easily curled if wrapped around a pencil or paper. Finally they glue the ends of the paper to form or circle, or as Martha Stewart recommends, use a staple to get the two ends together. Totally fun.
   
• Give each child a sheet of paper and a pencil and have them put together a list of 20 questions that they want to ask you, as their teacher.
   
• Plan a few craft idea with results that the kids can take home with them so they can proudly show their parents.