Fun Back-to-School Activities to Try This Year

The much-awaited back-to-school season is fast approaching! Children are eagerly preparing to reunite with their friends, meet new teachers, and embark on an exciting learning journey. What better way to commemorate this special time than engaging in enjoyable back-to-school activities?

While your child's teachers undoubtedly have exciting plans to kickstart the new academic year, you can also contribute to the excitement in your home. We are here to assist you in finding ways to bring the back-to-school celebration to your doorstep.

These engaging back-to-school activities for kids engage your children and offer an opportunity to strengthen the bond within your family. Get ready to create unforgettable memories together as you prepare for the new school year.

How to Get Your Kids Excited About Going Back to School

Unfortunately, not every kid looks forward to the beginning of a new school year. It can be tough to turn their attitude around, but it’s certainly not impossible. Here are some tips for making school activities exciting for students who’d rather have summer all year long.

Get Excited, Too

Lead by example! If your kids see that you’re pumped up for all the fun activities for kids at school, they’ll want to begin the new year even quicker. Tell them stories about your school days, your favorite teachers, and how things have changed since you were there. Get them ready for upcoming school events and their new curriculum. Your kids are probably going to be learning about some cool things this year, so tell them how neat those topics are!

Kids can read our energy, and if we’re not looking forward to something, neither will they. They'll be excited to participate when you’re happy to do back-to-school activities with them.

Read at Home

Reading with your children every day gives them a chance to appreciate literature, develop their reading comprehension, and bond with you. Since your kids will be reading in school, it’s also a good idea to make reading a habit at home. Choose books they’re likely to be interested in so they can develop a love for reading. By the time they get to school, they’ll be ready to pick up books in the classroom.

Ask About Their School Day

Merely asking your kids how their day was will yield little information; you might only receive a one-word response. To truly engage them in discussing the enjoyable aspects of their school experience, try posing open-ended questions about their back-to-school projects. What fascinating concepts did they explore in science? Have they encountered any intriguing new vocabulary words, and what are their meanings? Which games did they participate in during physical education? What captivating projects are they currently immersed in during art class? Posing these questions will give you a more comprehensive understanding of their level of enjoyment.

Additionally, consider delving into their social life by inquiring about their activities during recess. Although some children may come home from school in a grumpy mood, it's unlikely that they will respond to every question with a simple "nothing."

15 Back-to-School Activities for Kids

Discover a range of engaging back-to-school kids’ activities that will effectively prepare them for the upcoming year. Our carefully curated selection includes a variety of entertaining games from SimplyFun, all conveniently accessible on our website. These activities are designed to capture your children's attention and foster valuable skills and knowledge essential for their academic journey.

1. Craft Stick School Bus

This popsicle stick school bus craft is one of our favorite back-to-school projects. Simply glue the sticks together to create the bus and add photos of your child and their friends. Kids who take the school bus will be excited to see their friends again in the seats near them, and kids who have never taken it before will look forward to the experience.

2. Word Searches

The next thing on our list of back-to-school activities: elementary school word searches. These easy-to-make puzzles will keep kids occupied for roughly half an hour while looking for school-related words. It will also get them thinking about all of the things they can look forward to once they head back to the classrooms for the upcoming school year.

3. Alphabet Woods

Embark on an exciting journey through Alphabet Woods, a captivating game where players strategically arrange cards alphabetically to cultivate magnificent trees. The ultimate objective is to gather the largest assortment of adorable animals to claim victory. With a gameplay duration of just 10 minutes, Alphabet Woods offers a quick yet enriching experience suitable for children aged five and above. Engaging in this delightful game will entertain your kids and aid in their ABC mastery before school begins. By familiarizing themselves with the alphabet in an enjoyable way, they will gain a head start as they venture into the world of kindergarten.

4. Color Huey and the Four Seasons

Introduce your young learners, aged three and up, to the captivating world of language with Color Huey and the Four Seasons. This engaging word-learning game begins with the delightful task of matching colorful tokens to Huey's shoes. As the game progresses, the board is flipped, and players must match the tokens to corresponding words. This game is particularly enjoyable because word placements vary on the board with each play, preventing rote memorization and encouraging active engagement.

At SimplyFun, we believe in fostering early learning experiences, and our activities for kids in school are perfectly suited for both pre-kindergarten children and those attending school. Color Huey and the Four Seasons is a fantastic tool to ignite excitement for the upcoming school year by infusing vocabulary building with fun. Start your child's educational journey on a positive note with this captivating game.

5. Cow Cents

This fun back-to-school Cow Cents game teaches kids about counting change, preparing them for this part of their math curriculum. In this game, players strive to achieve goals while safeguarding their precious Cow Cents. Join your children in this immersive 30-minute experience that reinforces addition, subtraction, and money management skills and fosters an appreciation for math in a playful setting.

6. Paper Clip Bookmarks

As your children immerse themselves in countless books at school, what better way to prepare them than with personalized bookmarks? Encourage your kids to get creative by making custom bookmarks using ribbons and paper clips. This hands-on activity will ignite their excitement to delve into the pages of a book, knowing they have a bookmark they crafted themselves. These unique bookmarks can even accompany them to school, adding a touch of personalization to their reading adventures.

7. Guided Meditation

Meditation may not initially seem like a traditional back-to-school activity, but it offers numerous benefits in preparing children for the upcoming year. Mindfulness practices have gained recognition in school curriculums for promoting focus and reducing stress. Take a few moments to guide your kids through a soothing five-minute meditation, helping them alleviate any back-to-school jitters they may be experiencing. This practice will equip them with valuable tools to cope with challenges throughout the school year, allowing them to find moments of calm and reflection when they return home.

8. Do You Know Shakespeare?

For older kids, challenge their knowledge of Shakespeare with this enjoyable trivia game designed for players aged 12 and up. Many students may initially find Shakespeare's language and writing style daunting, but this game offers a captivating way to introduce them to the renowned author. By delving into Shakespeare's literature through this interactive game, your children will develop an excitement to explore his works, especially if they will be studying Shakespeare as part of their upcoming English curriculum. Prepare your kids to embrace the world of Shakespeare with enthusiasm and curiosity.

9. Eagle Chase

Embark on a captivating 30-minute journey with Eagle Chase, a game that imparts geographical and historical knowledge to its players. By strategically playing different cards, you will "visit" various locations on the United States map, earning points along the way. This entertaining game equips students with an understanding of the U.S. states and fascinating facts about them, giving their history teacher a pleasant surprise when they return to school. Gain a head start on geography and history, making learning an enjoyable adventure even before the school year begins.

10. Goal Setting

Encourage your kids to set academic goals for the upcoming school year with this empowering activity. Let them establish SMART goals, whether reading a specific number of books, achieving desired grades in challenging subjects, or venturing into new territories. These goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This activity prepares them for the school year with a clear direction and impresses upon them the importance of working towards personal objectives. Empower your children with the motivation and determination to achieve their goals.

11. Arctic Riders

Help your kids aged seven and up develop decision-making skills while practicing addition and subtraction in this adorable Arctic-themed self-check math game! The goal is to create equations equaling a number between 0 and 100 in order to feed as many treats as possible to the narwhals swimming along the ice floe. Different point values are scored when the narwhal lands on your treat or swims by. After you've played the game, dive into the 'Fun Facts' booklet that shares interesting tidbits about the Arctic Circle including the location and hemisphere, seasons and temperatures, notes on over 35 different animal species found in the Arctic. 

12. Is or Isn’t

Engage your children in a vocabulary game designed for kids aged six and above to teach them about synonyms and antonyms. Players must identify the corresponding synonym or antonym to advance as they land on word card spaces. Additionally, the game features challenges that allow players to strategically place tokens anywhere on the board. By familiarizing themselves with phonics and word recognition through this game, your children will return to school with improved skills, making their curriculum more manageable.

13. Letter to Self

Irrespective of the grade your child is about to enter, encourage them to write a letter to their future high school graduate self. This activity enables them to envision their academic success over the coming years. If your children cannot write, you can compose the letter on their behalf, ensuring you capture their exact thoughts and desires. Preserve these letters to present as a heartfelt keepsake after their high school graduation.

14. Memory Matching Games

Whether you intend to teach math, science, or vocabulary, you can employ a captivating matching game to engage your kids. Matching games enhance memory and reinforce the specific skills you are targeting. This proficiency will prove valuable during school tests, so consider creating multiple sets for different subjects. Here are a few ideas to explore:

• Math equation matching games: Avoid duplicating the same equation; instead, employ two distinct equations that yield identical results. For instance, you can create cards for 1+3 and 2+2.
• Synonyms: Generate pairs of cards featuring different words that share the same meaning.
• Colors: For younger children, match color cards with corresponding color words. For example, pair a purple card with a card displaying the word "purple."

15. I Am Poem

Encourage your children to craft a poem celebrating their positive attributes. Instruct them to focus solely on composing uplifting statements about themselves. This exercise allows them to work on positive affirmations, fostering self-esteem and preparing them for social interactions at school. Furthermore, it provides them with a repertoire of self-introductions for classroom activities. Join your children in creating a poem together — it may also benefit you!

Get Ready for Back-to-School with SimplyFun

Make the transition to the new school year an enjoyable experience for your family by engaging in back-to-school activities. As summer draws to a close, your children will be eager to return to their seats. However, learning doesn't have to cease when they step off the school bus and enter their homes. Gather your loved ones in the living room and embark on a delightful journey of educational games SimplyFun offers. These captivating games will undoubtedly hold your children's interest while providing immense enjoyment. Explore our website today to discover an array of educational board games and card games tailored for children of all ages.

More Back-to-School Ideas

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This blog was originally published on June 28th, 2023. It was updated on August 6th, 2024.