Back to School Crafts: 3 Fun Activities to Try

The summer has come and almost passed, and that means the new school year is quickly approaching! What better way to get the kiddos ready for the next year of school, no matter what grade they’ll be in this year, than with some awesome crafts? Honestly, these crafts are great activities for the whole summer, in addition to preparation for the approaching school year. Here are a few crafts to make the most out of the remainder of the summer, while also being productive!

Neon Notebooks

What You’ll Need: 

• Neon colored paper
• Gray colored cardstock
• Small craft punches
• Mod Podge
• Brush
• Scissors
• Notebooks

Directions:

1. Cut the gray cardstock to fit the cover of the notebook. Repeat the process to cover the fronts and backs of all the notebooks you plan to cover.
2. Apply a thick layer of Mod Podge to the notebook cover. Place the cardstock down over the top of it and smooth the paper out to avoid any bubbles. Repeat for all sides and allow to dry.
3. Cut out a bunch of small shapes from the colored paper using your craft punches.
4. Apply a thick layer of Mod Podge to the bottom 1/3 of the notebook. Randomly apply the shapes over the decoupage in that area.  Apply more Mod Podge on the next 1/3 of the notebook and repeat the process. Continue to work up the notebook and apply the shapes as desired. Allow this side to dry thoroughly.
5. Repeat step four on the back of the notebook, if desired.
6. To seal everything, apply 1-2 more coats of Mod Podge on the fronts and back of notebooks, allowing the coats to dry in between.

Pencil Roll-Up Case

What You’ll Need:

• Large piece of felt
• Pencil and ruler
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Felt scraps for personalization

Directions:

1. First, measure out your piece of felt. For the top, bottom, and sides, leave at least 2 cm. For a 9 pencil case, use a piece of felt 20cm x 30 cm.
2. Then, mark a row 5cm from the top and from the bottom.
3. Make a pencil spot from the place marked, 1.5cm apart. Make sure your measurements are equivalent to 2cm from the edge, 7mm for the pencil, then 1.5cm, then 7mm. Repeat for each pencil.
4. Repeat step 3 on the bottom row.
5. Prior to cutting, make sure your marks are lined up.
6. Carefully cut with small scissors.
7. Finally, at the end that will roll, make two small incisions and thread the ribbon through them as a clasp.

Pom Pom Keychain

What You’ll Need: 

• A key ring or clip
• Yarn in different colors

Directions:

1. Select a brightly colored yarn.
2. To create a pom-pom, begin by wrapping your hand with yarn. The more you wrap, the fuller the pom pom. When you feel like you’ve wrapped a lot, wrap a bit more.
3. Pull the yarn off of your hand carefully and tie one long piece of yarn horizontally around the bundle of loops you created. Pull as tight as you can and double knot to secure, leaving two long strings.
4. Use a pair of scissors to cut the loops above and below the knot you just made to create the pom pom.
5. After you’ve cut all the loops, begin to trim the pom-pom into a ball shape, being careful to not trim the long strings in front of the knot.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 in different colored yarn to create three or four pompoms in various sizes.
7. Holding the long strings from each pom pom, position the pompoms in a pleasing arrangement and tie a knot just above the highest one. Double knot the mass of pompoms to the keychain, and leave an inch long tail of all the strands for a little mini tassel.
8. Finally, you’re ready to attach to a backpack!

And there you have it, fun and awesome crafts to get the kiddos excited for this school year. Whether it’s a bright notebook or a customizable case for pencils, these crafts are sure to get your family ready to go back to school. What are some of your favorite back to school crafts? Leave your comments below!