These Back-to-School Crafts Make the First Week More Fun
Help them tap into their creativity with these projects.
If you’re looking for projects to get the kids excited about the upcoming school year, look no further. We’ve rounded up our favorite back-to-school crafts for kids, tweens, and teens. From sweet keepsakes to practical pencil organizers, these approachable ideas can help them tap into their creative side. Plus, many of them make use of materials you probably already have at home, like buttons, paper clips, and yarn.
These crafts can be done ahead of the school year or as a special first-day-of-school activity to get the kids excited about the year ahead. If you’re a teacher looking for creative ideas to engage students, many of these ideas can be done as classroom activities.
If you’re a parent, doing these crafts alongside your kids can offer a special opportunity to talk with them a bit about the year ahead. You can find out what they’re excited for, what they’re nervous about, and how they feel about this school year. Even teens who might otherwise roll their eyes at your questions have a way of opening up when there’s an artsy activity to focus on.
Ahead, we’ve rounded up our favorite back-to-school crafts that set the tone for a fun year.
Lunch Money Pouch
You can always use a little extra cash for lunch money, after-school snacks and other purchases. These not only look cute, they'll keep the bills and coins from getting lost.
Reusable Snack Bag
It's always useful to have an extra snack pouch lying around for when that afternoon hunger strikes. The best part is that if you're not into dinosaurs, you can choose whatever paint stencil you like.
Get the tutorial at Sarah Hearts »
RELATED: Best Reusable Lunch Bags
Button Bookmarks
Not only are these button bookmarks cute, they're small and easy to make in batches, so you can always have a few on-hand to mark your place in textbooks at a moment's notice.
Bloom Pencil Bouquet
It's back-to-school season, but it'll feel like spring with these bountiful pencils blooming from a flower pot. These were envisioned as teacher gifts, but you can always just use them to make any desk a little sunnier.
Get the tutorial at Ameroonie Designs »
RELATED: The Best Teacher Gifts
Beaded Backpack Tags
Backpack charms have never been hotter, and this one allows crafters to add just the right amount of personal touch. Almost any small, plastic toy can be converted to a backpack charm.
French Fry Pencil Holder
Pencils look a lot less humdrum when they're housed in a container that looks like a French fry box. It's enough to make anyone say Fry-YAY.
Magnetic Pencil Holder
Since locker space is always at a premium, use this magnetic pencil holder to make the most of every inch of storage. It looks nice, too.
Mini Button Chalkboard
If you need a place for little notes, reminders and words of encouragement, this DIY chalkboard is it. Plus, you get to use up all the extra buttons you have lying around the house.
Rainbow Desk Organizer
Not only does this desk organizer keep papers sorted, it reminds you of the ROYGBIV if you make it large enough. (You can use one for your office desk, too.)
Rainbow Watercolor Backpack
A backpack should match its owner's personality. So, that means it should be covered in bold and cheery colors!
Floating Glitter Tumbler
Jump on the reusable bandwagon (bye-bye, plastic straws!) with this easy-to-make glittery tumbler.
Splattered Watercolor Notebook
You can never have too many notebooks, especially when they have your name written across the front.
Glitter Pencil Cases
Trust us: You'll love these glittery, customizable pencil pouches. Chapsticks, colored pencils, ZOMG.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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