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Back To School Bus Craft W/Free Printable Template

Summer may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop! As the school year approaches and your kids get ready to hit the books again, make the transition a little more fun with this back to school bus craft!

This activity can be a great way to get your little ones excited about learning this coming school year and get ready to hit the classroom to see all their friends again!

This easy school bus is also engaging and helps kids develop their hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and precision.

As summer comes to an end, it’s time to start thinking about getting your kids ready for the new school year. And we’re here to help! We have tons of great ideas for back to school crafts that your kiddos will love.

Bus Craft Idea

easy bus paper craft cover image

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Supplies

  • Colored cardstock or construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Bus template (click the “click here to get this freebie” image at the end to open the form)
color cut and paste bus craft

Directions

Start by downloading the bus template and printing it out. Once you have the template printed, gather the materials needed for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this bus to life!

printed school bus template

First, encourage your child to glue the windshield to the right side of the bus, above the black line.

hands gluing windows onto bus

Next, guide your child to take the windows and glue them to the left of the windshield, directly above the black line.

hands gluing more windows onto bus
hands gluing windows onto school bus

Now, glue the eyes to the middle of the windshield.

hands gluing eye onto windshield of bus

Place the headlights directly above the ends of the smile and gluing them in place.

hands gluing headlights onto school bus

Help your child to glue the front bus wheels just to the left of the smile and below the word “school”. Place the inner tire piece in the middle of the front tires and glue them down.

hands gluing tires onto school bus

Finally, glue the back tires to the right and back of the front tires.

hands gluing rear tires onto school bus

Be sure to check out our other summer crafts while you’re here! Your kids will love creating more fun projects like this one!

hand holding finished bus craft

Back To School Ideas

As summer comes to a close, it’s time for the kids to head back to school. But don’t let the transition be a dull one. Keep them engaged with our exciting and innovative ideas! You could start by simply reading a book to them.

After that, move on to making some fun DIYs! But our ideas don’t stop there! We also have several other learning activities that can make the start of the school year a breeze!

Keep reading to discover some of our favorite ideas!

two examples of finished bus craft

Kids’ Books About School

As parents, we all want the best for our kids when it comes to their development. Reading books to them is one of the easiest and most effective ways to help them in this aspect.

Reading to them can enhance their language skills while boosting their creativity and imagination. It opens up conversations and encourages children to ask questions, improving their critical thinking skills too!

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates – This silly book is about a dinosaur named Penelope who is starting school and just can’t resist eating her classmates! Kids will love the fun drawings and crazy antics of Penelope, while also learning that being mistreated is never fun.

Chairs On Strike – The chairs have had enough of all the crazy things the kids do to them so they go on strike! This story helps kids learn to take care of their property and has lots of fun and silly humor.

Daniel Goes To School – If you have a little one who’s starting preschool or kindergarten and is reluctant to be away from you, this book is perfect for them! Daniel Tiger learns “grown-ups come back” at the end of every school day. We love this cute book!

two side by side examples of back to school bus craft

Back To School Crafts

See some of our favorite back to school crafts below!

Tissue Paper Apple Craft – Gather the little ones and dive into this easy idea! It’s a super fun activity to do at home and also a great way to strengthen fine motor skills. Perfect for kids going back to school, this project is bound to get everyone excited for the new school year.

Apple Core Craft – Your kids will have a blast making this apple core activity, and they’ll also be practicing their scissor cutting techniques that they’ve been working on all summer. It’s the perfect pasttime to get them excited about school time and all the yummy apples in season during this time of year!

Collage image of Back To School Crafts

Crayon Paper Bag Puppet Craft – This is one of our favorite back to school projects! It’s engaging, and also easy to make. It’s sure to put a smile on your child’s face and give them that extra burst of excitement they need to tackle the new academic year with enthusiasm.

Pencil Paper Bag Puppet Craft – This easy-to-make DIY project is perfect for kids of all ages, and it’s a fantastic way to get them excited about heading back to school. Plus, this printable activity is a lot of fun to create and play with!

New School Year Activities

The first day of school is always a big deal, whether it’s for the first time ever or just the first day of a new year.

Capture the excitement with a cute photo of your child holding a first day of school sign! It’s a fun way to show off their spirit, and it’s also the perfect way to commemorate the start of a new academic journey.

With these school I spy printables, you can make the first day of school a little more exciting for your kiddos. They’re full of vibrant colors and cute designs that are sure to capture their attention.

These printables are educational, too! They’ll encourage your little ones to practice their observation skills while they’re having a blast!

Collage image of Back To School Activities

This first day of school printable book is such a fun idea to kickstart the new school season! Your child can use it to record their favorite memories, goals, and what they are looking forward to this year. It’s also an easy way to get them excited for the first day of school. Plus, you’ll love looking back on these memories together in the future!

These back to school printable LEGO builds are perfect for teachers and homeschool families alike to use during morning time or centers. These builds are sure to foster creativity and also aid in fine motor skills and problem-solving.

single example of finished back to school bus craft

These engaging back to school letter maze printables are perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners to practice identifying capital and lowercase letters while having a blast.

With these printable worksheets, your kids will get the opportunity to sharpen their letter recognition skills while having fun and feeling accomplished as they make their way from start to finish.

Share With Us

Did you make this activity with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!

For a chance to have your child’s project featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

hand holding finished bus craft with another example in the background

Back To School Bus Craft For Kids

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Make the transition from summer break a little more fun with this back to school bus craft!

Materials

  • Colored cardstock or construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Bus template

Instructions

  1. Download the bus template, print, and cut out the pieces you need.
  2. Begin by gluing the windshield to the right side of the bus, above the black line.
  3. Take the windows and glue them to the left of the windshield, directly above the black line.
  4. Next, glue the eyes to the middle of the windshield.
  5. Place the headlights directly above the ends of the smile and glue them in place.
  6. Glue the front bus wheels just to the left of the smile and just below the word "school".
  7. Place the inner tire piece in the middle of the front tires and glue them down.
  8. Finish up by gluing the back tires to the right and back of the front tires.

Did you make this craft?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

School Bus Template

Freebie download image

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Grace

Sunday 1st of September 2024

I wanted the back school bus w/ free printable template. Could u please email to ne thank you grace

Sam

Tuesday 3rd of September 2024

Since you’re a subscriber, you just need to click the “Click Here To Get Your Freebie” image at the end of the post and then enter your email in the form. After that, it’ll automatically redirect you to the download page ◡̈

Crystal

Monday 19th of August 2024

Hey Sam! Can't get the template, not really sure why. Could you send to my email? I work in a public library and think this craft is great for our toddler storytime :)

Sam

Wednesday 21st of August 2024

Hi! If you are a free SEM+ Grow subscriber, please login (by clicking the < + icon on the bottom right side of the page) and it'll unlock the download image at the end of the post. If not, you can sign up for Grow and it'll also unlock. For more information on how this works, you can check out the details here.

Rhonda

Tuesday 23rd of July 2024

Thankyou Sam for all your beautiful templates the children all love them.

Sam

Tuesday 23rd of July 2024

You're welcome! I'm so glad they are enjoying the ideas!

Margaret

Monday 22nd of July 2024

Thank you so very much for all your crafts ideas. I have used several of them. I work the at the YMCA and teach Spanish and Literacy. Your crafts are the icing on my cake. The children them love them and so do the parents. I give you all the credit and your website.

Sam

Monday 22nd of July 2024

Aww, you're so sweet. Thanks! And I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying them ◡̈

Steel

Tuesday 21st of May 2024

Great craft for back to school

Sam

Wednesday 22nd of May 2024

Thank you! We're glad you think it's perfect for back-to-school.

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