10 Back to School Ideas That’ll Get Your Kids Excited
Updated: Oct. 06, 2022
Are your kids bummed about the end of summer? These back-to-school ideas will get them excited to go back.
Ah, back-to-school time. No matter your kid’s age, the transition back to the classroom can be a tough one, even if you spring for a new backpack that looks like a unicorn. And if your kids are doing virtual learning this fall, the transition may have a few extra challenges. Here are some back-to-school ideas that your kids will actually be excited about.
1. Create a Back-to-School Survival Kit
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Any Age
Get a small container—like a pencil box or a zippered makeup bag—and fill it with things that you think your kid might find helpful or comforting when they head back to class. Depending on their age, your back-to-school kit might include things like gum or candy, fun pens and pencils, stickers, a hairbrush, lotion, lip gloss, hand sanitizer, a stress ball, a few dollars for the vending machine or an encouraging note from mom or dad. If you’ve got a groaning teenager on your hands, try swapping out the kiddie goodies for snacks, gum, mini lotion or hand sanitizer, a water bottle or a gift card to their favorite fast-casual restaurant.
2. Go on a Back-to-School Shopping Trip
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Any Age
This is a surefire way to get your kid excited to go back to school. (Because what kid wouldn’t love to get brand new clothes and school supplies?) Make sure you don’t leave the house without a list of the essentials (especially for dorm room shopping). And, make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to stock up from the Walmart Back-to-School Sale!
Psst—Add these back-to-school snacks to your list for your little ones.
3. Bake Up a Batch of Treats
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Any Age
Saying goodbye to summer and hello to the classroom (or dining room table) can be a tough transition, but luckily, there’s nothing that a batch of back-to-school cookies can’t fix! If a tray of cookies greets your students when they walk through the door, there’s a good chance they’ll forget all about that first-day homework assignment.
Don’t forget about those college students! Send them a care package treat.
4. Pick Up These Picture Books
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Elementary Students
For younger kids, reading picture books about the first day of school can help squelch some of their fear and anxiety. After all, if the Pout-Pout Fish isn’t scared, there’s no reason they need to be. Good picks include: First Day Jitters, The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School, The Night Before Preschool, Kindergarten, Here I Come or The Kissing Hand. This is a great option for a back-to-school gift, too.
5. Prepare Yummy School Lunches
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Elementary Students
Break from tradition for the first week of school. Sure, PB&J in a brown bag is all good and fine, but to make your kiddo feel extra special, pack some of their faves for lunch—spinach turkey pinwheels, peanut butter pitas or pizza wraps. Hungry for more? Try our favorite lunch box ideas. Or if your kid is old enough, have them whip up their own lunch.
6. Carve Out a Kid Cave
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Elementary Students
Anybody who’s ever picked up a grumpy kid from school knows they need some downtime after a day of rules to unwind. The first week back might be kind of stressful for your kids, so providing them with a spot simply for relaxing might do the trick. This could be as simple as creating a cozy fort and gathering some new books, a juice box and one of these yummy snack ideas.
7. DIY a Portable Homework Station
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Elementary Students
Blogger Becky of Clean Mama had the great idea to create a homework station out of a Target cutlery caddy. Fill canning jars with homework essentials—like pencils, markers, a ruler and stickers. You could even put some energizing snacks in one cup, like this granola trail mix, to help keep the brain fueled up and ready to conquer algebra.
8. Decorate Back-to-School Essentials
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Middle School through College Age
Add a personal touch to lockers, planners, notebooks and binders. Middle schoolers will love creating collages of photos and stickers onto their school essentials. Try out a more sophisticated look for high school or college kids by using washi tape and decorative felt pens.
9. Make a Back-to-School Craft
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Middle School through College Age
Make a back-to-school craft for homeroom or their dorm room! Middle schoolers will love these washi tape pencils, high schoolers will stay organized in style with these homemade pocket folders and your college student will use this hanging paper organizer on the daily. Make them as a gift or send these ideas to your kid to make on their own.
10. Sign Up For School Activities and Organizations
Back-to-School Idea Best For: Middle School through College Age
Looking for another way to get your older kids excited to go back to school? Have them sign up for school sports, activities and organizations! If your teen (or pre-teen) is heading into middle school, high school or college for the first time, have them do a little extra research before their first day so they can have a good idea of which clubs they’d like to join. College students can do a little digging on their college’s website and social media pages for ideas, too.
Originally Published: August 25, 2020
