25 Fun Back to School Ideas

School supplies and an apple with text for Pinterest

Make the school year a bit more fun with these fun back to school ideas! Great ideas whether your kids are going back to school in person or school is starting back up at home!

School supplies and an apply with text for Pinterest

This year has been a weird one to say the least. With the beginning of school just around the corner for most of the country, I thought it would be fun to share some ideas to celebrate the big milestone!

I put together ideas that work for anyone – whether you’re homeschooling, in person schooling, virtual schooling, or a combination of both. They’re great ways to celebrate the return to school at home with your kids right now!

Back to School Party Ideas

Okay let me rephrase, party ideas is a bad way of putting it this year. Back to school celebrations is a better term!

Anyway, these are fun ways to celebrate the beginning of the year from scavenger hunts to making back to school teacher gifts to cake!

games to play at a dinner party

Back to School Scavenger Hunt This back to school scavenger hunt is a great way to surprise kids the day before school or even earlier! Hide clues with fun school surprises all around and let them find school treasure at at the end! One of my son’s favorites! Check it out! Four blue back to school bingo cards with school images on them

Four blue back to school bingo cards with school images on them

Back to School Bingo Celebrate the first day back at school – whether at home or in-person with this fun school bingo game! Or play all year long! Check it out!

School Supply Cake This school supply cake is a fun gift for teachers or a fun way to gift school supplies to your kids returning to school! It’s easy to make and who isn’t going to need more school supplies in the fall! Check it out! Red plate with green paper leave cutout

DIY Apple Plates An apple a day keeps the doctor away right? Then these apple plates should be worth something! A cute school themed way to enjoy the first day of school breakfast! Check it out! White cake, pencils, and a cake stand with chalkboard printables

White cake, pencils, and a cake stand with chalkboard printables

Back to School Party Printables Make the weekend before school special with a little back to school party completed with these chalkboard inspired printables! Check it out!

Traditions and Photos

Want to keep track of the first day of school each year? These fun back to school ideas are great for making those memories and sticking with traditions!

First Day of School Signs Whether you want a white background or a chalkboard design, these first day of school signs are perfect! And bonus, they come with Pre-K all the way through twelfth grade! Check it out! Letters 1 through 12 in bright colors

School Grade Signs Want to go a little simpler and just hold a sign with the grade your kids are entering? Add these ones to popsicle sticks for simple photo props! Check it out! PIece of paper with back to school interview questions

PIece of paper with back to school interview questions

First Day Interview This first day interview is a great way to capture how much changes from the beginning of the year to the end! Capture favorite colors, things to eat, things to do and more in this cute free printable! Check it out! Box with letters and rulers

School Time Capsule Take the interview idea a bit further with this fun back to school time capsule idea! Add interview questions and actual items into the capsule then open it up at the end of the year! Check it out!

Back to school photo checklist with a red background

Back to School Photos How many times have you been so rushed in the morning that you forget to take a first day of school picture? This back to school photo checklist helps you remember and document everything you want for school time! Check it out!

Countdown Ideas

If your kids are as excited as mine about going back to school, then maybe you can get create one of these fun back to school countdown crafts! They’re all easy to make and fun to use for the countdown!

Back to school countdown cards that look like library cards

Library Card Countdown This printable countdown looks like the old school library cards and is just so cute! Perfect for hanging and counting down the days until school! Check it out! School countdown papers hanging from wood clips

School countdown papers hanging from wood clips

Activity Countdown This countdown calendar takes a step further by adding activities to each of he countdown cards! Things like recording favorite summer memories, picking out school day snacks, and more! Check it out! paper school bus with paper chains hanging from it

paper school bus with paper chains hanging from it

School Bus Craft It doesn’t get much cuter than this school bus chain countdown craft! Let kids help make the school bus craft then take the chain off each day leading up to school! Check it out!

First Day Fun

The countdown is finally over! Here are a few ways to celebrate the first day of school in a creative way your kids will remember!

Lunch Box Notes Start the first day off right with one of these cute lunch box notes that tells your kids that you’re thinking about them! Then keep it going with a new note every day! Check it out!

Encouraging Notes Drop these encouraging notes and jokes in the car, backpack, pencil box and more for a little encouragement all day long! Check it out! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches make the best lunch box food

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches make the best lunch box food

Lunch Box Games Print out these fun lunch box games to make a hectic day a little more exciting! Drop them in with one of the lunch box notes from above and voila – magic! Check it out! Personalized pencils on a marble notebook

Personalized pencils on a marble notebook

Personalized Pencils Skip the regular number 2s this year and make your personalized pencils with encouraging notes for your students! I love these because you can add favorite colors, inside jokes, and more! Plus, unlike some of the other ideas – they’ll be able to use these for a while! Check it out!

Treat Ideas

One of the sweetest ways to celebrate back to school is with a sweet treat! These back to school treats are best served days or at least a day before so you’re not sending kids to school on a sugar high!

Or forget giving things to your kids and plan out some of these treats for when you send the kids to school and are celebrating a little freedom for the first time in months!

large cookie with 1st day of school in yellow frosting

First Day of School Cookie A ginormous cookie with 1st day of school written on it – need I say more? Check it out! yellow cupcakes with red frosting and green chocolate leaves

yellow cupcakes with red frosting and green chocolate leaves

School Day Cupcakes Celebrate the night before with a special dessert in the form of a back to school apple cupcake! I love this idea because it can help keep kids minds off of the first day of school and on something else! Check it out! Red pretzels in a green bucket with an A+ sign

Red pretzels in a green bucket with an A+ sign

Apple Pretzel Snack Put this special little school day treat in your kid’s lunch box on the first day for a yummy surprise! Check it out! Paper pencils with rolos inside and gift tags

Paper pencils with rolos inside and gift tags

Pencil Gifts These cute pencils disguise a yummy chocolate treat inside! Plus, they’re filled with chocolates that are individually wrapped so kids so no dealing with mess or plastic bags! Check it out! Red waffle on a white plate

Apple Waffles Who doesn’t love waffles for breakfast? Take it up a notch and turn everyone’s favorite breakfast into a school day special with these waffles that look like apples! Check it out! Gifts wrapped in brown kraft paper with tags

Gifts wrapped in brown kraft paper with tags

Back to School Candy Grams Surprise your students with little sweet packages all week long! They’re fun, exciting, and would be perfect to add into the back to school scavenger hunt in this earlier post! Check it out!