17 Fun Back to School Games for Kids

These fun back to school games are the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of the school year with your kids at home or your kids in the classroom! Tons of fun ideas from a a school scavenger hunt to fun school games for kids to get to know each other! Perfect if you’re looking for first day of school games or fun school games for the entire year!

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Awesome Back to School Games for Kids

Somehow summer always seems to go by so fast. It might be because we always plan tons of trips while my son is out of school (hello Disneyland Pixar Fest) or just because time flies when you’re having fun. And completing all of the items on this summer bucket list.

Whatever it is, the first day of school will be here before any of us know it. And this year, it’s a big deal for us because my baby starts full-time kindergarten in August. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that while he’s still my baby, he’s not a baby anymore. Like at all.

One of the things that I’m doing this year to help get him excited is playing back to school games with him all week long leading up to the first day of school. Honestly, we might end up playing some of these fun school games the entire month before he starts but at least the week before.

So I put together a list of all of the best back to school games I could find and for those amazing teachers out there, some great first day of school games, get to know you games for kids, and even a couple of school scavenger hunt options! There’s something for every age, every teaching style, and every kid! And doing something fun is a  great way to get them to pose nicely with this printable first day of school sign!

Back to School Games for at Home

These games are perfect for playing with your kids at home to celebrate the beginning of the school year or at a back to school party! Some of them might also work for the classroom but mostly, they’re fun ideas for celebrating back to school with kids at home!

School supply scavenger hunt – a fun way to get kids excited about going back to school! There are printable versions of the game so pre-readers can get in on the fun, too! Get them here.

Speaking of scavenger hunts, this back to school scavenger hunt is another fun idea for getting kids excited for the first day of school!

Play these awesome back to school Minute to Win It games with things like glue sticks, brown paper bags, and more! Get the printable cards and instructions here. Or use any of these other minute to win it games instead if you don’t have this many school supplies on hand!

Alphabet Relay – if you have a little one getting ready for Kindergarten, this is a fun game to play to work on letter identification and burns off a little energy at the same time! See how to play here.

Back to School I Spy– a fun way to get kids talking about the transition back to school. Get the free printable and ideas for how to get kids talking here.

Back to School Bingo -It’s a free printable game with 10 boards and the little cards to draw to play. This one would work well for either playing at home or at school! Download the whole game here.

Back to School Word Search – Something fun to do with your kids the day before or morning of school! Download the free word search here.

Picture Sudoku – 30 different printable games like picture sudoku that are perfect for getting kids ready for going back to school! Get the printables here.

Back to School Games for School

These games are mostly designed for playing with a classroom full of kids at school to help get them adjusted to school, making new friends, etc. Some of these would also work for playing at home, just maybe switch things up a tiny bit! I’ve broken it into a couple of different categories depending on if you’re looking for first day of school games, get to know you games for kids, or something else.

Fun Get to Know You Games for Kids

Getting to know you beach ball – Write a bunch of questions on a ball and use them to play fun get to know you games with the kids answering questions about themselves. Get full instructions here.

All About Me Four Corners Game – A fun way to get kids up and moving that also incorporates answering questions about themselves!

Pick a Stick – kids will feel comfortable answering these get to know you questions and getting to know one another with simple prompts. Get the the rules and printable here.

Getting to Know You Board Games – Three free printable getting to know you board games that encourage students to share information about themselves. Get them for free here.

Get to Know You Yahtzee – Based on the classic dice game, this is a great way to get kids talking about themselves and connecting with others in small groups. Download the game cards here.

Getting to Know You Cootie Catchers – This paper quizzer (cootie catcher) is a fun activity for students to get to know each other at the beginning or any time of the year. Print in color or black and white here.

First Day of School Games

What’s Your Name Workout – this is a great way to get kids moving as well as working on name spelling for younger kids. It’s one of the best first day of school games because it helps other kids learn each other’s names! Download the free printable here.

The Best Game – I’ve never tried this one but it’s on my list of games to try next time I have a bunch of kids over! The idea is that students break into groups and have to choose someone in the group that matches part of a description (e.g., The Tallest) but they don’t know what the other part of the description is so anyone could win! Get full instructions here.

Find a Friend Bingo – help manage those back to school jitters with this fun game that will help kids connect! Great for the first day of school! Download the free printable here.

Back to School Snowball Fight– there’s more to this activity than just throwing wads of paper at each other. It’s a great way to get kids comfortable on the first day of school! See how to play (along with variations) here. 

Student Search – two different versions to help cover a greater age range, this printable game is a fun way to get to know each other on the first day back to school. Print the game sheets here.

Classroom Scavenger Hunt – Trivia questions (at grade level) and a fun scavenger hunt help students get familiar with their new surroundings on the first day of school! This is one of my favorite first day of school games! Download the free packet here.

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