65 of the Best Back to School Crafts for Toddlers
Back to school season is upon us. Among all the shopping and school activities, that also means thinking of back to school craft ideas, too. The first week of school can be stressful enough without having to come up with all these on your own.
So we put together a list of cute but easy crafts that toddler with love to make. Check out all these fun ideas of back to school crafts for toddlers.
Apple Themed Back to School Crafts
Apples are one of the most common back to school themes for toddler and preschool classrooms. So naturally there’s quite a few super cute and easy apple crafts. They’re all great for those little first time students, too!
1. Paper Plate Apple Frame
Try this cute craft if you’re looking for something that includes their picture. Add this into any apple themed lesson plan.
2. Apple Craft for Fine Motor Skills
This is a great way to combine a back to school craft with a fine motor skill activity. And all you need is construction paper, a paper plate, and some glue.
3. Marble Painting Apples
This craft truly looks like a work of art with little effort on your part. Kids of all ages, but especially young children, will love this method of painting.
4. Handprint Apple
This is one of the best ideas we’ve seen to document their handprint size. How cute is that apple?
5. Apple Stamping
Another easy way to incorporate fine motor skills while making an apple craft.
6. Apple Frame with Popsicle Sticks
Document their first day of school picture with this cute craft. They also make great gifts for parents, teachers, or grandparents.
7. Bubble Wrap Apple Painting
This is an especially fun craft for kids. They will love the painting aspect, and the final product turns out awesome!
8. Musical Apple Shakers
This apple craft is a great idea to combine craft projects with music!
9. Apple Dot Painting
While this seems simple and easy, young children will have a great time while also building hand-eye coordination. All you need are these paint dotters.
10. Tissue Paper Apple
Check out this creative back to school craft that also helps fine motor skills. Alternatively, you could also use pom poms instead of tissue paper.
Photo from Easy, Peasy and Fun
11. Apple Necklaces
Here’s a great craft that kids can make with things they find outside. These are also very inexpensive crafts that are still a favorite.
12. Apple Window Craft
Little kids will love creating these window crafts and then seeing them hung in the window. Try this cute apple one!
13. Apple Basket Craft
Check out this fun way to paint and make an awesome craft. In the early years, kids will love painting with anything that’s not a paintbrush.
14. Easy Back to School Apple
Try this easy but awesome looking apples. Easy enough for toddlers, but a true work of art.
15. Apple Themed All About Me Free Printable
Document all the fun things about your toddler with an apple themed free printable. Keep scrolling for other themed ‘All About Me’ posters.
School Bus Themed Crafts
Back to school is the time of the year that school buses are everywhere. Document the start of a new school year with these adorable and fun bus themed crafts!
16. Paper Plate School Bus Craft
Check out this simple bus that’s so much fun to make and to play with!
17. Back to School Dot Painting
Another dot painting activity to help with fine motor skills. These school projects are very low prep but a favorite among younger children.
18. Easy School Bus Craft
Combine scissor skills, glueing, shapes, and painting for this school bus craft for all skill levels. This craft is a great example of learning through the art process and not focusing on how the final result will look.
19. Footprint Bus
Look how cute these little feet come out! Here’s a great way to document your child’s foot size, too.
20. School Bus Discovery Bottle
Make your own discovery bottle with just a water bottle and some colored paper. This type of sensory play is great for toddlers!
21. School Bus Sun Catcher
This is one of those kids crafts that you’ll love hanging up. And kids will love seeing their creation in the window.
22. Bus Picture Frame
Make this adorable school bus picture frame to show your toddler on their first day of school!
23. School Bus Photo Book
Young children love looking at photos of themselves and other people they recognize like their classmates or teacher. This school bus photo book is a great way to use multiple photos in a craft.
Photo by Barley and Birch
24. Puffy Paint School Bus
What young kid doesn’t love puffy paint? This gives them more variety than regular paint and is a great messy play activity.
25. Painting with a Bus
Here’s another super fun way to paint for even more variety! Kids will love it (here’s some more ideas).
26. Wheels on the Bus Sensory Bag
Sensory play is always beneficial for young children. Here’s a way to incorporate a school bus without any mess!
27. School Bus Egg Carton
Keep your empty egg cartons to reuse for this super fun craft. Toddlers will need some help but will enjoy playing with this craft for months.
28. Paper Loop School Bus
Try another fun craft to practice scissor skills and using a glue stick. Get even more tips for toddlers using scissors here.
29. Hanging School Bus
Look how cute this hanging school bus craft is! This is a great keepsake that your child will want to keep.
30. Milk Carton School Bus
Make your own big yellow school bus by saving some of your recyclables. This project is one they’ll play with again and again.
All About Me Ideas
What better way to document the new school year than with an All About Me project! These take minimal craft supplies and capture everything you want to remember about your child’s first days at school. Try one (or more) as your first day of school crafts as the best way to get to know them!
31. Our All About Me Poster Free Printables
There was so many options out there, but most you had to pay for. So we decided to make some of our own! Enjoy these free printables here.
32. All About Me Posters
If you do want some more options, theres lots like these you can buy online. They have every theme or idea you’re looking for.
33. Life Size Coloring
Check out this exciting way for toddlers to learn about themselves. This craft is always a big favorite at our house.
34. All About Me Caterpillar
This cute craft is awesome for getting to know toddlers and possibly a new teacher. It would also go great with a bug theme or The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
35. All About Me Books
Here’s a DIY back to school book to document all your child’s favorite things.
36. All About Me Tree
Another fun tree and apple themed sheet to get to know you.
37. Handprint Book
This is a fun way to keep track of growing hands and feet over the years. You can keep adding to it each year to compare, too.
38. Likes and Dislikes
This is an extra fun way a toddler can show you more about themselves and use fine motor skills at the same time.
39. All About Me Headband
Here’s a new way to show off your favorite things! Younger children will love making and then wearing these headbands.
40. Mirror Craft
This back to school craft goes along great with all the ‘About Me’ crafts. Have them make their own mirrors, so they can see themselves.
Crayon and Pencil Related Crafts
It’s that time of year to start buying new school supplies! For this reason, many back to school craft ideas go along with the school supply theme. Try these fun crayon and pencil crafts.
41. Handprint Crayon Box
This colorful craft is a super cute way to use a handprint. Younger children especially love how this turns out once it’s complete.
42. Crayon Picture Frame
Another super cute picture frame idea for a great keepsake on their first day of the new year. This one fits in amazingly with the crayon or school supply theme.
43. Crayon Headbands
Young children will really love any of the headband crafts because they can wear them around. Consider this fun idea for your back to school craft.
44. Toilet Paper Roll Crayons
Here’s another great crayon idea! These crayons are so cute, and kids will love making them.
45. Crafty Crayons
Check out this awesome crayon craft to try that incorporates scissor skills and other fine motor activities. Add this into your crayon based lesson plans.
46. Pencil Person
If you’re going with the school supplies theme, pencils are a huge part of that for kids. Start out by making these fun pencil people!
47. Simple Shape Pencil Craft
Or have them practice their shapes with this fun back to school pencil craft.
48. Yarn Pencil Craft
This craft is another awesome fine motor skills activity that also ends with a cool craft. Try this one for a fun new way to make pencils.
49. Pencil Footprint
How cute are these tiny little feet? This is one craft that parents will definitely want to keep.
50. Washi Tape Pencils
Tape can be a little frustrating for toddlers at first, but it’s a great activity for fine motor skills.
Other Back to School Crafts
51. First Day of School Poem
Here’s a craft for the first day of school that will fit with any theme or other activities you have planned. This is a simple but cute way to start the year.
52. Handprint Poem
Handprints are a great idea to use in keepsake. And this poem is just too sweet!
53. Bookworm Paper Roll Pencil Holder
Have them make a fun craft that they can use all year around!
54. School House Picture Frame
If you’re still looking for a picture frame to fit your theme, this is the perfect back to school DIY frame. You can’t go wrong with an actual school.
Photo by Grace, Giggles, and Naptime
55. First Day Headband
Try these fun headbands that toddlers can wear around on their first day. They’ll love seeing all their classmates in them, too.
56. Cookie Cutter Painting
Cookie cutter painting creates such a cute craft while also helping fine motor skills. The other great part is that you can choose whatever themed cookie cutters you want.
57. Glue Bottle Craft
Here’s a super cute glue bottle craft to go along with the theme of school supplies. Add this one to a collection of DIY school supplies.
58. Days of the Week Craft
Toddlers and preschoolers are just starting to learn days of the week. Try this fun craft to help them learn at the beginning of the school year.
59. DIY Name Tag Necklaces
Check out this fun craft for DIY name tags! Toddlers can help make the necklace part of their own name tags.
60. My Name Collage
Let them decorate their own names with either tissue paper or pom poms. This is another fun activity for fine motor skills.
Photo by Createprintables.com
61. Monster Bookmark Crafts
Grab some craft sticks, goggly eyes, and pipe cleaners for these cute monsters!
62. Water Painting
Water painting for toddlers is an amazing way to paint but get rid of the mess. Don’t be surprised if they end up all wet, though.
63. Paper Countdown Craft
This is a fun craft to make leading up to the first day of school. After making it together, have your child rip off one loop each day as you get closer.
64. Back to School Slime
What kid doesn’t love slime? This is a great way to use all the extra broken crayons and other school supplies you have laying around.
65. Acorn Handprints
If you need a different fall theme for back to school, try acorns! Young kids love animals like squirrels they can actually see outside.
Still looking for a theme for back to school?
Try Chicka Chicka Boom Boom theme based on the book! Decorate with letters and check out these activities and crafts here.
