5 Ideas to get Students, Parents, and Teachers excited for the new school year!
Already thinking about the next school year? Get a head start on your back-to-school planning with these 5 fun ideas for students, parents, and teachers!
Maybe you are hosting an open house, planning a pep rally, or kicking off your fundraising event. If you and your team are still looking for ways to kick off the new school year, the following ideas are perfect to add to your calendar!
A community back-to-school bash brings together local businesses, extracurricular programs and clubs at your school, sports teams, and local government programs (like those offered by the Parks & Rec. Department) to kick off the school year! It’s a community-wide party that your parent group can host or help sponsor in conjunction with your school admin and local chamber of commerce.
- Host the party at a local park or other large, outdoor space.
- Encourage school clubs and sports teams to have their own booths or informational tables so students and parents can learn more about what your school offers. You can even help cover the costs of the event by charging for a booth/table at the event.
- See if local restaurants will help cater the event or if local food trucks want to attend.
- Connect with the band director to have the school band play music during the event or put on a concert.
- Use this time to deliver important information about your fall fundraiser to students, parents, teachers, and community businesses (especially if you are trying to get local sponsorships!).
Celebrate and show support for your teachers and educators! Host your cookout at the school, a local park, or even the beach if the weather permits. You could even team up with other schools and make it a community-wide event to celebrate local educators.
- Provide the hot dogs and have your volunteers man the grills! You can also encourage attendees to bring their own food of choice (hamburgers, chicken, bratwurst) and tell them you will cook it up for them while they enjoy the party.
- Celebrate teachers during the event with gift bags full of supplies they can use in their classroom to help relieve the need to purchase basic needs out of pocket.
- Create a casual environment for teachers and educators to talk to local and state elected officials that you invite to attend (especially members/candidates on the County Board of Education).
Host a family-friendly party at your local skating rink or bowling alley for parents and students to have fun together and celebrate the start of another school year. This can also be an opportunity for you to introduce new parents to the PTO/PTA and deliver information about volunteering and your upcoming fall fundraiser.
- Have school supplies lists available and some free items (like pencils, notebooks, paper, rulers, etc.) for students at your event.
- Offer a kids combo for a cost ($5 or $10) that includes food, a drink, and skates/bowling shoes rental.
- If your fall fundraiser has already kicked off, have a list of the incentives (or samples of toy rewards) being offered as donation incentives for parents and students to see and get excited about.
Get your students moving and grooving with a back-to-school dance party! This event can be a fantastic way to energize students and create a fun, memorable start to the school year.
- Organize an after-school dance during the first week back and hire a DJ or do it yourself with speakers and a playlist.
- Incorporate dance competitions or themed dance nights to add extra excitement.
- Use this event as a kick-off for a dance-athon if that’s your fall fundraiser, combining fun with fundraising efforts.
Who doesn’t love a good ice cream social? You’ve got families, you’ve got delicious ice cream, and you’ve got a whole assortment of yummy toppings for students to customize their cool treat.
Tips for Your Social:
- Set up a variety of toppings like sprinkles, chocolate chips, fruit, and syrups.
- Create stations for students to build their own sundaes.
- Use the social as an opportunity to provide information about the upcoming school year and any fundraising initiatives.
Want more creative event ideas for your school year? Team up with us and get your own coach, access to our entire event toolbox, and an online platform that makes event fundraising easy from start to finish!
