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    Home » Blog » Party Time

    The Cutest Back to School Dinner Idea

    Published: Aug 13, 2014 · Modified: Sep 9, 2023 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Welcome your kindergartener back home from their first day of school with this adorable back to school dinner. What a special way to mark their big day!

    A table is set with a school bus floral centerpiece and cute ABC puzzle messages at each place setting.

    When your little baby heads off to kindergarten for the first time, it is the perfect opportunity for setting some simple family traditions.

    Traditions to Start in Kindergarten

    Everyone has their own set of must-do's for a kindergartener's first day:

    • special photo ops: check out our tips for back to school photos here.
    • first-day clothing shopping trips
    • interviews for the scrapbook
    • starting this adorable graduation photo tradition
    • special notes in the lunchbox: Read how to pack the perfect kindergarten lunch right here.

    Of all the traditions out there, I've always especially loved the idea of holding a family feast to honor the new year.

    For a kindergartener, this is an especially wonderful opportunity to welcome them home after their first big day.

    A Simple Back to School Dinner

    Years ago when I first read "The Family Dinner," I was enamored by the simple table settings Laurie David shared as part of her family's everyday routine. It's amazing to me how powerful a little extra effort towards the table really is.

    The only fancy things required are some simple table sprucing.

    In this instance it truly doesn't matter what's on your menu--even hot dogs or chicken nuggets are elevated by some ambiance.

    I pulled this back to school dinner table together with materials found around my house in just a few minutes and it made all the difference in turning a weeknight dinner into a party.

    A quick raiding of the kids' toy box and art supply stash along with two minutes in my backyard garden provided everything I needed.

    No special scissors or printables required!

    Adorable Table Decorations in Minutes

    A table is set with a school bus floral centerpiece and cute ABC puzzle messages at each place setting.

    1. ABC Puzzles

    I used two sets of ABC puzzles from Melissa & Doug to spell out cute messages at each setting. We love the Alphabet Art puzzle and the See-inside Peg Puzzle.

    Words I played with include:

    • smarty
    • grow
    • learn
    • teach
    • ABC123
    • study
    • know
    • friends
    • love

    How many more can you think of?

    3 simple decorations for a sweet and adorable Back to School dinner

    2. Clever Containers for Flowers

    The sweet yellow school bus from the Whittle World School Bus Set is a fall classic and made the perfect unique container for some flowers snipped from my garden. I found a clear plastic disposable cup, gently squeezed the sides together and set it in the open space towards the front of the bus. I added a little water and just popped the flowers in and done.

    It's the cutest little centerpiece and it came right from the toy bin!

    3 simple decorations for a Back to School feast

    3. Sweet Little Apples on the Placemats

    To give the placemats a more festive feel, I hand-painted some sweet little apples using the easiest trick you'll ever see:

    How to paint little apples for a placemat.

    Simply bend a paper towel tube to form the apple shape, dip it in red paint and press it on a large piece of white paper. I just trimmed some from the craft paper roll from the kids' art station. 

    Then I used a small paintbrush to add the little green leaves for an accent. This would be a fun back to school art activity to do with the kids the night before or you can just surprise them after school with everything already prepped.

    What to Serve for Dinner

    As I said, it really doesn't matter what you serve that night, just make it something the kids love and that is easy.

    But, if you really need some inspiration, here are some of our favorite school night suppers:

    • A bowl full of shredded chicken with a spoon. There's a bowl of red tomatoes, a green napkin, and a bottle of hot sauce sitting nearby.
      Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken
    • A serving of the chicken cheese roll up sits on a plate next to fresh carrots, tomatoes, and a veggie tray with dip.
      Cheesy Chicken Roll Ups
    • A white bowl of ramen noodles and ground beef with red peppers and broccoli.
      Easy Ground Beef Stir Fry with Noodles
    • A collage of easy dinners for busy nights.
      30 Quick Family Dinners for Busy Nights
    Back to school dinner: a sweet and simple first day dinner idea to welcome your kids to a new school year.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. gun mayhem 2

      August 18, 2019 at 8:25 pm

      This is a great idea! I like the charity thing too. Good job!!

      Reply
    2. Revista Electrónica

      June 14, 2016 at 6:14 pm

      ¡De verdad! Dedícate a otra cosa. Este texto ni por lo menos se
      vincula con noticias de hoy en mexico.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Make morning time to squeeze in back to school photo ideas says:
      August 4, 2019 at 12:14 pm

      […] 3 quick table decorations for a Back to School Feast […]

      Reply
    2. Capturing Childhood: First Day of School Photos says:
      August 1, 2015 at 4:32 pm

      […] special family traditions for celebrating the back to school season? Be sure to check out these quick, easy and adorable ideas for setting a festive back-to-school table over on Peanut Blossom, including an simple trick for painting little red apple place […]

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for women.

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