Engaging School Event Ideas to Strengthen Community Bonds
A school is a community that needs to be reinforced throughout the school year, and having a great list of school event ideas for activities can help you do that. There are plenty of ways to engage students, parents, educators and the community at large in events for schools, ranging from simple and inexpensive to a few that are a bit more costly and complex. Whether you’re looking for an elementary school event idea, or one for middle schoolers or high schoolers, keep reading for different ways to help your school community have fun and make connections all year long. You may also discover some fundraising opportunities along the way.
School Events and Activities
If you're looking for event ideas for school kids and their parents, the easiest group to cater to is probably the youngest. There are many different ideas for young school children activities that are sure to get them excited, and their parents too. All of these elementary school event ideas for school events and activities can help to bring the school community together, provide a welcoming atmosphere and even help your institution raise funds if needed. These events are generally affordable and easy enough to plan, making them accessible even if you currently have a lot on your plate. For school event organisers, these ideas for school events and activites can be a fantastic way to engage both students and parents alike.
Trunk-or-Treat Party
Here's a great event activity to do with your students around Halloween. We all know young kids go crazy over the idea of trick-or-treating, but it's not something they generally get to experience with their classmates or educators. That's why throwing a trunk-or-treat party can be such a good idea. The concept behind this event is simple and it’s a great alternative to a more traditional Halloween party. Parents, educators and other volunteers simply decorate the interiors of the trunks of their cars. Then they park around the school parking lot and open their trunks, where candy and other treats are located. The kids can go from car to car, visiting parents, educators and others in their community and collecting goodies. This is an easy event to put together because all it requires is a parking lot and getting the word out. This event can help show the power of bringing your community together, and the fun that can occur when each person brings their own little slice of creativity to the table.
Theater Night
Having an appreciation for the arts at a young age can be so important. It can give children a moral center, a community and a sense of belonging. Performing and creating art together can also provide a great sense of fun and help with confidence and personality development. These are just some of the many good reasons to consider hosting a theater night for your elementary school kids. Providing students with some pieces of well-known plays and great works can help introduce them to the larger culture of theater in general. The kids will likely delight in stepping into some of these larger-than-life characters, getting to “play pretend” and put on a show for parents and educators. Who knows, you might just spark a fire of interest in a future thespian. In addition, hosting a student theater night can be a great way to do a little fundraising for your school or for specific programs that could use extra help. You can sell affordably priced tickets to the performance or accept donations from the community after the show. There's a little more effort involved in organizing this kind of show, but it's that kind of showmanship and spirit that can make it worthwhile for everyone involved, including you!
Family Movie Night
If you're looking for some entertainment that's a bit easier to put together, you don't have to look much further than a family movie night. As far as school event ideas for school kids go, this one is almost always a winner. It's also an easy one to get cozy with. Encourage students and their parents to come back to the school in their comfiest ensembles - pajamas, slippers and so on. Lay some blankets and pillows on the floor and choose a family-friendly film that everyone will love. It could be a new release from Disney or Pixar, or you could turn the kids on to a beloved classic they'll get to experience for the first time. This is easy enough to set up, but if you have some extra time and energy, you can go the extra mile. You can tie your decorations and setup around the movie's theme(s) or locale(s). That means the snacks and decorations you choose can sync with the film and provide a complete experience. Remember, this is a tech-based event, so be sure to test everything ahead of time to make sure you're ready to go. There's nothing worse than a bunch of antsy kids waiting around for you to make the projector work! The more you troubleshoot your audio/video setup ahead of time, the lower the chance of an unfortunate surprise.
Field Day
This is maybe the most iconic and classic elementary school event idea. In a way, field day is a tradition, passed down from generation to generation across many decades. Generally speaking, field day takes place toward the end of the school year when the weather is heating up and the kids are getting excited for summer break. The specifics of what a field day can consist of will vary depending on your ambition and budget. It can be as simple as outdoor sports and relay races or as involved as large parachute tents and dunk tanks. Basically, any group activity for school event, you can think of that can be organized outside can be included in a field day. If you do this event for school once a year, you can have older students explain the games to younger students, creating a deeper sense of tradition and camaraderie from class to class. If done right, a field day can be a day that students of all ages look forward to and embrace. On top of it all, they'll be getting some physical exercise and engaging with their classmates in new and fun ways.
Book Fair
Book fairs often occur during school hours, but this isn't always the case. A book fair can also draw students and parents back into the school building after hours. If you're unfamiliar, a book fair is when you set up part of the school as a makeshift book store where new and donated books are available to students for low prices. They can browse and pick out some exciting new reading options, which they can even begin to dive into at the event itself. Book publishers often donate or discount books for sale at these types of events. Plus, the excitement around this after-hours school event idea often pushes children to feel more excited about reading. This is a great fundraising event as well, as the proceeds from the book fair can be funneled into whatever area of the school needs some extra funds. If you want to go the extra mile, you can set up a few reading nooks and blanket forts where the kids can start their reading adventures right away.
Ice Cream Social
We all scream for ice cream, don't we? That's certainly the idea behind this beloved social event, where kids and parents alike gather together to enjoy everyone's favorite dessert. This is an easy event to set up, with only a quick trip to the grocery store needed to get your supplies. You'll need the ice cream, plenty of toppings, and many plates and spoons to go around. You can create something of an assembly line, where kids and parents move down the line to create their perfect ice cream sundae bowls. Make sure you have plenty of seating (and plenty of paper towels in case of a mess) and the rest should take care of itself. This is a great way to get the student body together, get people excited, and strengthen the bonds of your school community. Plus, if you have a sweet tooth yourself, you won't find much to complain about!