11 ideas for the first day of school celebration

1. Whom do we invite to the school enrollment celebration?

How you celebrate your child's school enrollment party, is up to you and your child: Would you prefer a small private celebration at home or in the garden? Or a large school enrollment celebration with many guests, for which you might even have to rent extra rooms?

In any case some names should not be missing from the guest list: Godparents, grandparents and other close relatives or close friends. Depending on size of the celebration neighbors or families you are friends with can also be invited.

Above all, it's important that your child's needs come first – after all, it's their big day! Your child will surely be happy if they have a few playmates around them to romp and have fun with.

If the number of guests allows, we recommend that you organize the school enrollment celebration at your home. That way you have the opportunity to tailor the day entirely to your child's needs and preferences. You can also use our special ideas for decorations and activities that make your school enrollment celebration unique.

2. Send invitations to the school enrollment celebration

For the school enrollment celebration, of course the appropriate invitation cards must not be missing! In addition to an inventive and appealing design they should contain all important information about the celebration. These include:

Date,
Time,
Address
and, of course, the occasion.

3. Plan the school enrollment celebration with your child

Not only about the guest list but about all other points, the children starting school are involved from the very beginning. This ensures that decoration, program, food and games are exactly to their liking and that they already look forward to the celebration weeks in advance. Also let them participate creatively in preparing their school enrollment celebration. This allows them to contribute actively. For example, they can design the decorations themselves.

4. School enrollment outfit for your child

The school enrollment is a special event and a milestone in your child's life. Therefore you should choose an outfit for them that is fitting for this special occasion:

Boys can, for example, wear a smart shirt, dark jeans or other comfortable trousers to the first day of primary school and to the subsequent celebration.
Girls can go to the celebration in a dress or skirt or wear a T-shirt, a blouse and comfortable trousers
Remember that they should feel comfortable in their clothes for the school enrollment celebration.
Choose only clothing and shoes in which your little ones can move freely on the big day.

More about the first day of school outfit

5. Organize the school enrollment celebration as a themed party

The school enrollment celebration becomes an extra special experience for your child when you put it under a particular theme set. Base everything on your child's preferences. Whether a world of knights, high nobility, jungle, pirates or heroes from film and TV – let your imagination and creativity run wild! You can adapt the party decorations and games to the theme. This guarantees the fun factor for young and old.

But always keep the real occasion in mind: Where possible, connect the theme with the topic 'school enrollment' – after all, even pirates have their first day on the high seas and an individually designed garland for the school enrollment can happily hang in the jungle undergrowth.

6. Delicious ideas for the buffet

To make sure your guests leave satisfied, a delicious buffet is included. Make sure there is something for everyone: young and old, vegetarians and meat-eaters.

Since school enrollment celebrations in primary school usually take place in the morning and you hold your private celebration accordingly in the second half of the day, you should offer both coffee and cake and also something savory options for lunch or dinner. How about these ideas?

Meatballs or vegetable patties
Finger foods like vegetable sticks, grape-and-cheese skewers or mini sandwiches
Salads such as green salad, pasta salad or potato salad
Mini quiches or mini tartlets
Bread with various dips
Chili con carne or sin carne
Cakes, cookies or desserts in a jar

7. Festive decorations for the school enrollment

Matching your child's theme or the theme 'first day of school' you can turn any living room or garden in no time into a attractive party location for your school enrollment celebration conjure up. The motif of the school cone must not be missing!

Also with large numbers and letters cut from craft foam or handmade from construction paper you can decorate the location without much effort. Also think about appropriate table decorations – besides themed decoration ideas streamers, candles and confetti are always well received! In our online shop you will find numerous craft sets with which you can design the decorations for your school enrollment celebration yourselves.

To the craft kits

8. Table decoration for the start of school

Are you wondering how to suitably decorate the tables for your school enrollment celebration? We have enchanting suggestions ready for you:

ABC cookies for the school enrollment celebration

ABC cookies are a must for the school enrollment celebration – super fitting to the school theme and delicious too! ABC cookies are available in most supermarkets.

If you want, you can fill mini school cones with a few sweets or other small items and give them to the little guests to take home at the end of the day.

Colored pencils & Co. on the school enrollment table

Turn the dining table into a small classroom and decorate it with a few colored pencils or pieces of chalk. These small details make the special charm of your school enrollment decorations .

Unique party tableware

With original party tableware that matches your party's theme, eating is even more fun! We have a selection of children's tableware in various themes in the shop that are especially popular with the little guests.

9. An entertaining program for the first day of school

The be-all and end-all of an unforgettable first-day-of-school celebration is a colorful and varied festive program! In doing so, the little first graders and their playmates should of course be the first to enjoy it. But it can be just as much fun if you include a few games that bring young and old together. And of course an opening speech or greeting, words of thanks to all helpers and guests, as well as dance and music that appeal to young and old should not be missing. Let these program items inspire you:

Crafts at the first-day-of-school celebration

Crafting together brings children and adults to the same table. Especially nice are craft ideas that you can take home at the end of the day as a small keepsake to take home. These include, for example self-printed or tie-dyed T-shirts, buttons, or bracelets, but also summery wall and window decorations made of poster board or crepe paper. You'll find suitable supplies in our shop.

Face painting at the first-day-of-school celebration

One special highlight can be to have the children face-painted at the party. Whether lion, princess, wizard or butterfly – they can choose for themselves. You can consider whether you or friends with a knack for face painting take on this task. Alternatively, you can also hire a professional. With the right guidance, face painting is not that hard! Check out our tips on Face painting in the magazine on.

Photo shoot for the first-day-of-school celebration

A fun photo shoot is enjoyable for everyone! Also, all invited guests have a great keepsake of the successful party. Dressing up for the photos is of course especially popular. If the guests are not already dressed up, you can provide a small selection of costumes or photo props. Maybe a few adults will also dare to step in front of the camera!

Create a giant picture for the first-day-of-school celebration

Your charges will receive a very special keepsake of their first big day if you create a colorful giant picture together with all guests. As a canvas, a paper tablecloth, which you cut to the desired size. Armed with wax crayons, a small group of guests can now gather around the canvas and leave their mark. Here, guests can also record their wishes for the child starting school.

Plan an outing for the first-day-of-school celebration

Also a small outing to the ice cream parlor or to the nearby playground can liven up the schedule. Make sure that, besides the fixed program items, there is still enough time for adults and children to shape things as they please!

10. Games for the first-day-of-school celebration

For anyone who wants to entertain little game fans at their party, here are great tips on which games are suitable for a first-day-of-school celebration:

Knowledge quiz for the start of school

Appropriate for the first day of school, you can develop a small quiz for your guests. Thematically, the questions can either revolve around the party's specific theme or you can stay general and ask across all areas of knowledge. Make sure that you adapt the questions to the children's level of knowledge. In this game you can bring young and old together if you prepare quiz questions for both.

Theme games for the first-day-of-school party

Maybe you can manage to link game ideas to the chosen party theme – with the theme 'Pirates', for example, chocolate gold coins could await the successful treasure hunters in a game of 'hit the pot'.

Scavenger hunt for the first-day-of-school celebration

Or you organize a small treasure hunt for the kids. For example in the house or garden. Excitement and fun are guaranteed! Planning such a scavenger hunt involves a lot of work. With us you can find helpful tips, to make the preparation easier!

Plan a treasure hunt with HABA

Note: Also make sure that your venue for children of all ages is safe and that a supervisor is present who, especially during games and activities, keeps an eye on everyone.

Outdoor physical activities

If you celebrate in the garden or park and enough free space for running and rough-and-tumble play is available, movement games are particularly suitable and promise lots of fun for the children. Running and tag games such as 'Fisher, Fisher, what color is the water?', chain-tag or 'Plumpsack' have lost none of their appeal today. Also ball games are very popular with many children.

11. Small party favors for the first-day-of-school celebration

It is also a nice gesture to give the guests at the end of the celebration a small party favor, which reminds them of the celebration. Party favors like small toys, children's books, or travel games for under 15 euros are available in our shop.