Some kids dread the end of their unstructured summer days. Others can’t wait to get back to their friends and their familiar school environment.
Either way, how about throwing them a fun back-to-school party to help ease the transition? That way, they can get reacquainted with some of the friends they haven’t seen for a while, and get excited about the upcoming school year.
It needn’t be fancy, just fun! Ideally, you can get together with some other parents to help.
Themes
The overall theme, of course, will be “back to school.” But there can be individual variants on that.
For instance, you could have a book-themed party, where kids bring their favorite books to trade with their friends. Or how about a T-shirt party, where they could all come in their favorite T-shirts?
You could even throw a backpack-stuffing party, and have them bring school supplies for other kids in the area whose parents may not be able to afford them.
Entertainment
Kids are so resourceful that, with a little guidance, they can make their own entertainment. Plus, offering craft-type activities gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride that they can carry back to the classroom with them.
A quick trip to a dollar store will provide everything you need, from glue sticks and glitter to puff paint and construction paper they can use to decorate book covers or make bookmarks with. You’ll even be able to pick up notebooks they can personalize or folders they can decorate.
Food
One thing about kids’ parties is that the food doesn’t need to be elaborate; in fact, it shouldn’t be. Kids are into the simple, the familiar, and the easy to eat.
So offer them lots of tasty finger foods, like pigs in blankets, cut-up fruit and veggie sticks, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, individual ice cream cups, and so on; anything you usually provide as after-school snacks.
Location
If you’re just having a few of their friends over, you can, of course, have the party in your home. But if you’re having lots of kids, try a perfect kid-friendly venue in downtown Miami, the Historic Alfred I. duPont Building.
Originally a bank vault, the duPont Building features resilient marble walls and floors, and offers spacious rooms for them to play and make plenty of happy kid-noise without bugging the neighbors!