Back-to-School Fun for Kids

I know, I know, no one wants to think about back-to-school time. But I know some people who have gone back already and many of us will have kiddos heading back to school soon (or starting up homeschooling again), and there are ways to make it a little more fun for all of us.

If you have preschoolers or are a preschool teacher, check out these cute back to school songs for preschoolers. They’d be great for circle time or walking through the halls. You’ll find them at Teaching Mama.

You might also like to do a preschool countdown with books about going to school if you have a child who is going to school for the first time, or who has the jitters (or is excited about it, for that matter). Hands On As We Grow has the details, and Buggy and Buddy has a great list of books for back-to-school time not just for preschoolers.

Or keep your countdown a little simpler (but still super cute) with a paper chain countdown like the one at Preschool Inspirations. Tear a loop of each day until it’s time to go back to school. Honestly, I think my almost-8-year-old would love one of these, too.

My Life and Kids has a great roundup of back-to-school games, some of which are great for teachers to use in the classroom and others can be played at home. Or check out the back to school word search from Superheroes and Teacups.

This sweet bus craft with family photos from No Time for Flash Cards is great for a child going to school or riding the bus for the first time, or for a child missing their older sibling while they are still at home.

All kids seem to love terrible jokes, and this collection from Kids Activities Blog has some groaners that will be great for breaking the ice at school or getting rid of some nervousness on the ride to school. (Example: How do you get straight A’s? By using a ruler!)

You’ll find more great jokes in the form of printable lunch notes at Happiness is Homemade, where she also has an amazing roundup of other sources for printable lunchbox notes that will keep you going all year.

Make your mornings a little easier with tips from B-Inspired Mama. And don’t forget to do something cute for your first day of school photos (might I suggest my easy chalkboard sign?) and make sure you think about your family’s privacy before you post those photos online (thanks for the reminders, JDaniel4’s Mom).

How do you celebrate or prepare for going back to school? I’d love to hear your ideas!

When my daughter was younger I would spend a lot of time trying to come up with activities she could do in the car on long road trips and things to entertain her when we were waiting at restaurants and things that didn’t involve screens.

But it turns out there are a lot of great activities you can do with just a piece of paper and a pen.

What Do We Do All Day has a great collection of pen and paper games, including some that can be done with just one person, though they’re all more fun if you have at least two.

There are some classics on here like hangman and dots and boxes, but there are also quite a few I hadn’t heard of before.

I don’t want to spoil the whole list for you because you should definitely click over there and look around, but I will share about the one that you see pictured above.

This game is called Bridges, and you start by making the big random shape and the dividing it into a bunch of sections (the post says 30-50 sections is ideal but I think this one is smaller than that).

Each player gets their own color marker and you take turns drawing bridges from one space to another, crossing a third. Once there’s a bridge, no other bridges can start, end or cross in those spaces. Keep going until no more bridges can be built, and the person who makes the last bridge wins.

Check out the post over at What We Do All Day for more great ideas for no or almost-no prep games you can play with your kids or that kids can play together. I’d love to know if you have a favorite paper and pen game, whether it’s on this list or a different one.

[Photo: What We Do All Day]

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